The safer and more affluent societies are, the more afraid they seem to be. Fears spread, both real and perceived. Many of these have to do with the atomisation strategies behind neoliberal policies, the increase in the need to compete and the world’s (seeming) tendency to be consumed by crises. The things that trigger fear and the question of whether fear is justified are multi-faceted, contradictory and at times downright enigmatic. Alas, diffuse feelings of fear increasingly feed into hate and violence. Countering this phenomenon is one of the greatest tasks that societies of the 21st century must face. And all it takes is a virus to place this topic at the centre of attention.