LOCKDOWN! – a force for good?
How is everyone in these strange times? For my 100th post I thought I write something a little different and reflect what is happening currently.
When I was younger – it seems so long ago now – my reading of choice was mainly
science fiction. I devoured books by Arthur C Clarke: The City and the Stars, A
Fall of Moondust, Rendezvous with Rama and of course, the magnificent, 2001 A
Space Odyssey. But I particularly enjoyed J.G. Ballard’s The Drowned World, The
Drought and the Wind from Nowhere. At the time I just thought they were
thoroughly good reads but now realise they were way ahead of their time. What I
find extraordinary is how, in this age of uncertainly, how prescient many of
them were.
Who would have predicted, even a few
months ago, the state the whole world is in? We are faced with a faceless ‘enemy’.
Not some alien from outer space but a fast-moving malevolent force that strikes
indiscriminately. No one knows how, or even when, this pandemic is going to
end. Up until recently the news has concentrated on numbers – of those infected
and deaths – but is now starting to focus more on individuals and the human tragedy.
For me, this is really bringing the gravity of the situation home. So far, none
of my relatives or close friends have succumbed to the disease but I wonder if
it is just a matter of time.
On the positive side, many aspects of
life have changed for the better. The skies are clearer, there is less
pollution and, thankfully, nature seems to be carrying on in its usual rhythm. Many
of us are forced to spend time at home, with our families, which may well cause
stress and strife but, hopefully, will bring us closer together with a greater
understanding of each other. More people seem to be taking the trouble to
exercise, which can only be for the good. I just hope that, when all this is
over and we return to some semblance of normality, we have learned from it and
make the world a better, more considerate, place to live in.
