Horizons.
If life begins at the end of one's comfort zone, then this was it. He was now into the 8th week of 12 in lockdown and self-isolation; embedded albeit involuntarily, in this strange new disease of modern life.
If one was obliged to describe him, he was a person and face, of strong natural insignificance, though adorned in the first style of fashion. Halfway between boring and having potential.
He had originally planned for long haul trips to exotic locations in 5-star hotels with cool crisp linen sheets and hot women. Now it was the very dog-day of inertia. You could not even get a taxi to the airport; and even if you did, were there flights, and did you have to go into quarantine upon arrival?
It can be argued that occasionally the safest place for something is to be out of control; with the only veil standing between perception of what is beneath the desolate surface being your courage. You have to find out what you love and let it kill you. Let it drain from you your all. Let it kill you, and let it devour your remains.
But in a mundane manner you are restrained by pure logistics, and thus he was obliged, under protest to remain within his personal bubble of existence. Reports on the TV, (now no longer Brexit), were all Covid 19, with increasing trends noted in mental health and domestic violence. But he lived alone, and in the conversation, he had with the kettle on Monday, he was bearing up well.
Some benefits had become apparent. No more cold calls from Mumbai. Perhaps they were sick? Nobody ringing the doorbell when you were halfway through a bath. Less pollution and noise, apart from the birds who seemed to now start their morning chorus at obscenely early hours.
The gyms were closed and so he dug out the Jane Fonda workout video with commendable aspirations and questionable results.
Overseas, the pandemic seemed to reflect the mental composition and governmental status of respective societies.
Russia had huge daily new cases, but few deaths? North Korea had none!! The Philippines had few deaths, but had immersed themselves between “end is nigh scenarios,” and copious pleas to the Almighty. The USA meanwhile was betwixt and between the drama of an entire nation polarized into political dualism, with horrific potential scenarios.
Elsewhere he noted, that as has been so often the case in historical crisis, it had brought out the best and the worst in people. Small acts of kindness were in general submerged by the human imperative to sink to the lowest common denominator in man's prejudices and find a scapegoat. Mexicans and Muslims, blacks and those of the Jewish faith were out of fashion and the focus switched to the easy target of China bashing.
He pondered, that if there was such a thing as the corporeity of the soul, why was it so lacking in logic and empathy?