Your most recent article was brilliant. Five years...crazy. Feels like five minutes.
About the long Quinquennium
luctalks.substack.com
This was an excellent article by Luc! I suggest reading it in full. Here is how ChatGPT 4o summarized it:
Summary of Luc Koch’s Article: "Five Years Since Covid"
Luc Koch’s article reflects on the five-year period following the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, which he terms the
“long Quinquennium”—a transformative era that reshaped political, social, and philosophical landscapes. The piece offers a provocative critique of the mainstream Covid response, exploring how it fractured worldviews, exposed deep societal divisions, and birthed an unlikely coalition of skeptics, dissidents, and free thinkers.
1. The Covid Era as a Paradigm Shift
Koch argues that
Covid-19 was not just a health crisis but a metaphysical upheaval, comparable to an extinction-level event. The pandemic shattered long-standing societal norms, creating a stark divide between those who unquestioningly followed official narratives and those who critically examined them. He describes a mass awakening in which people began questioning authority, institutions, and dominant ideologies.
Before 2020, many individuals lived in
a passive, normie existence—accepting mainstream narratives on topics such as global warming, neoliberalism, and institutional trust. However, Covid forced a confrontation with reality, revealing
deep-seated flaws in governance, media, and collective behavior.
2. The NPC Divide and the Psychological Fallout
Koch introduces the
“NPC” (Non-Playable Character) phenomenon, comparing certain individuals to soulless automatons who blindly complied with draconian policies such as lockdowns and vaccine mandates. He links this to esoteric ideas about human consciousness, drawing on Gurdjieff’s notion of
“mechanical humans”—those who lack higher spiritual awareness.
While some people evolved and expanded their understanding, others regressed, either embracing authoritarianism or retreating into
paranoid conspiratorial loops. He critiques those who
fell into schizophrenic-level thinking, consumed by ungrounded paranoia, as well as those who abandoned critical thought due to fear of social exile.
3. The Rise of an Unlikely Coalition
One of the most striking results of Covid was the formation of a
diverse resistance movement that transcended political and ideological boundaries. This coalition included:
- Alternative health advocates, horrified by the medical establishment’s draconian measures.
- Marxists, who saw corporate power consolidating at the expense of workers.
- Alt-right internet subcultures, who had to contend with their own members initially embracing extreme Covid policies.
- Academics and professionals, ostracized for questioning the mainstream narrative.
- Everyday individuals, who saw their families and communities torn apart.
Despite their differences, these groups
fought together, debated theories, and shared insights. However, Koch acknowledges that their unity was fragile—
conflicts arose as their original shared enemy (Covid authoritarianism) faded, revealing deep ideological tensions.
4. The Evolution of Thought and the Post-Covid World
As Covid waned, the coalition had to
recalibrate its focus, applying its newly developed critical thinking to events like the Russia-Ukraine war. Koch suggests that this period led to an
intellectual awakening, forcing individuals to reexamine assumptions not just about Covid, but about
history, politics, and the nature of reality itself.
He likens this process to
early postmodernist thought of the 1920s and 30s, before it was absorbed into the mainstream consensus. He warns that history may be repeating itself, urging people to maintain independent thinking instead of falling into
new rigid ideological traps.
5. Trump, the Matrix, and the Future
Koch describes the
Trump phenomenon as a "glitch in the Matrix", a disruption that confounds traditional political narratives. He argues that Trump’s rise can be interpreted in two ways:
- A genuine grassroots rejection of elite control, signaling a shift in collective consciousness.
- A controlled disruption by the “invisible overlords”, a strategic adjustment meant to steer society in a different yet equally controlled direction.
He cautions against
blindly embracing any single narrative, emphasizing that Covid should have taught people to expect
the unexpected.
6. The Final Year of the Quinquennium
As the five-year Covid period draws to a close, Koch reflects on what was gained and lost. He acknowledges that the coalition formed during Covid may not last, but its lessons—about truth, power, and human nature—must endure. He urges his readers to
remain open to contradictions, avoid rigid thinking, and continue seeking deeper truths.
Ultimately, he argues that
Covid was a spiritual test. Those who failed to recognize the oppressive nature of the pandemic response will likely
remain blind to future manipulations. However, for those who learned, it was an opportunity to
expand their awareness, evolve intellectually, and prepare for the next phase of history.
Conclusion: A Call to Remember
Koch closes with a nostalgic yet resolute message: The struggles, debates, and awakenings of the Covid era must not be forgotten. Even as the world moves on, the insights gained from this tumultuous period should serve as
a guiding force in navigating future crises.
His parting advice?
Stay vigilant, embrace uncertainty, and never stop questioning.
