2020 Rethink.

2020 Rethink.

If nothing else the pandemic is a great leveler, and the fact that it could go on all this year, and perhaps into 2021 is a sobering thought.

By definition it will change us.

For most of the people that I knew who grew up from basic family values inculcated in a post war Britain, they subsequently experienced a gradual creep of materialistic influences, (and dare I say it), more selfish values; as they endeavoured to attain all that was attainable and on offer out there: house, car, overseas holidays, comfortable life style etc.

What will happen now?

The current storm of infections seems to be proceeding in waves from country to country. It has passed its peak and is subsiding in China, and albeit slowly in Italy. It is increasing dramatically in: Spain, France, & the USA. It is due to hit hard soon in: the UK and the rest of Europe. A specter of unimaginable proportions hangs over Africa & South America when it takes hold, as take hold it will.

It will manifest the best and the worst in all of us.

If we are fortunate enough to live through it, how might it change us? Perhaps the older, more spiritual values will return, for there is nothing more efficient than knowing you have a real chance of dying, to concentrate the mind. Once the fear and the panic subsides a bit, then eventually you come to terms with it.

On a more practical level we will increasingly learn how to work from home, and we will appreciate the seasons, friends, compassion and laughter. And again, on a lighter note, those that are in love, yet separately self-isolating, can abandon cyber-sex and rut as the Good Lord intended.

We will be less carefree with what we buy and throwaway, as the old habits of panic buying and hoarding will be hard to shake off. There will be across the whole of mankind, a Plan B Emergency stock of: toilet paper, rice, pasta, soap, multivitamins and cooking oil.

Finally, the scale of the deaths in each country will determine the mettle of our political leaders, and hopefully remove those that have been weighed in the balance and found wanting.

We had a similar worldwide virus in 1968. Most have never heard of it. Hong Kong Flu (named prior to political correctness).

What this has taught me: staying off of social media (its land of the dumbos), very selectively source my news - hard to do: Even the bbc is bonkers now.

I'm back to my martini and utter bewilderment at All Of It.

I try to take a detached view of social media, although I use it a lot. There seems, especially in some countries to be a hell of a load of fear and panic. Also the religious nutters have emerged with their end of the world quotes.

Objective news is difficult as you correctly note, even the BBC. I get a range of them, but find Reuters the best.

Martini in the Caribbean!!! What happened to Appletons or Whey & Nephew?

I, myself, am very materialistic but I would welcome more spiritual and specially humanistic values.

"On a more practical level we will increasingly learn how to work from home, and we will appreciate the seasons, friends, compassion and laughter. And again, on a lighter note, those that are in love, yet separately self-isolating, can abandon cyber-sex and rut as the Good Lord intended.

We will be less carefree with what we buy and throwaway, as the old habits of panic buying and hoarding will be hard to shake off. There will be across the whole of mankind, a Plan B Emergency stock of: toilet paper, rice, pasta, soap, multivitamins and cooking oil.":wink5:


"Finally, the scale of the deaths in each country will determine the mettle of our political leaders, and hopefully remove those that have been weighed in the balance and found wanting."
Amen to that

For texts like this one I miss an essay thread in this forum, but I suppose the blogs are meant for essays.

@Tony, I don´t remember that Virus of 1968. We didn´t have Internet then and the news weren´t disseminated that quickly.

On a positive note we'll never return to how we were before. Working families are already discovering there really is flexibility in juggling family life, work and education. We just need a pandemic to make it happen. I see a drastic change in these traditional systems. A demand to expand upon what we already have with what we have implemented borne out of necessity.

On the other hand there's nothing like handing a democratic govt authoritarian powers during a crisis and then asking them to give it up afterwards....

Keep well everyone. I miss going to the beach.