Coronavirus (obviously...)
Well. This is not the month I expected to be having, how about you? Some chap in Hubei decides he fancies bat for tea, lets the bat sneeze in his mouth or something before he pops it in the microwave and boom - you got yourself a movie-quality pandemic on your hands.
What happened next varies for everyone. To use the popular wartime rhetorics, the war against coronavirus was also a million tiny battles. The battle to keep the small business open, to keep the community safe, to get a supermarket delivery slot.
Billions of people discovered who they really were overnight. Stripped of the comfort of normality, the spirit laid bare, they did what came naturally. Some got in contact with neighbours they had never spoken to before and threw up support networks immediately. People dropped their political views and agendas and began conforming to instruction for the common good. Social media (the megaphone for the worst) became the tendril that held families, friends and even complete strangers together. People reached out and considered and cared for those around them.
Some people bought more toilet paper, pasta and bread than they could possibly use and hid it all in their homes. Some people took delight in spreading the virus, thinking it was a problem for the elderly. Some people ignored the rules, thinking it was for everyone else, and descended on parks in their droves. Some people continued spitting poisonous insults at the newly a-political government and throwing in opinions no one asked for or should trust.
"This too shall pass" is the well-known translation of a Peruvian adage by Edward Fitzgerald. I am pretty sure the Peruvian origin relates to constipation, but it is appropriate here too. Coronavirus will end. Countries will re-open. Life will boot up and the Windows 95 startup theme will flood across us all. And when it does, the guy in the glass will be waiting.
When you look in the mirror, you'll know what you did or didn't do. The ledger closes when this pandemic comes to an end, and your balance will live as long as you do.
What happened next varies for everyone. To use the popular wartime rhetorics, the war against coronavirus was also a million tiny battles. The battle to keep the small business open, to keep the community safe, to get a supermarket delivery slot.
Billions of people discovered who they really were overnight. Stripped of the comfort of normality, the spirit laid bare, they did what came naturally. Some got in contact with neighbours they had never spoken to before and threw up support networks immediately. People dropped their political views and agendas and began conforming to instruction for the common good. Social media (the megaphone for the worst) became the tendril that held families, friends and even complete strangers together. People reached out and considered and cared for those around them.
Some people bought more toilet paper, pasta and bread than they could possibly use and hid it all in their homes. Some people took delight in spreading the virus, thinking it was a problem for the elderly. Some people ignored the rules, thinking it was for everyone else, and descended on parks in their droves. Some people continued spitting poisonous insults at the newly a-political government and throwing in opinions no one asked for or should trust.
"This too shall pass" is the well-known translation of a Peruvian adage by Edward Fitzgerald. I am pretty sure the Peruvian origin relates to constipation, but it is appropriate here too. Coronavirus will end. Countries will re-open. Life will boot up and the Windows 95 startup theme will flood across us all. And when it does, the guy in the glass will be waiting.
When you look in the mirror, you'll know what you did or didn't do. The ledger closes when this pandemic comes to an end, and your balance will live as long as you do.
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