Human Kind
“How fast we get through this will be determined by every single person in this country. Stay home to save lives.” Matt Hancock.
What the world needs now, is love, sweet love. From a respectable distance of course.
It’s all gone to hell in a handcart and I’ve spent the last few weeks waking up with an impending sense of doom, scrolling through the Guardian’s excellent rolling coverage and feeling scared, sad and sorrowful all goddamn day. I fret my loved ones will die, we’re all going to lose our jobs, have no money, lose our homes and eventually starve to death.
Whoa there Willis! Where’s your eternal sunshine? You are default Everything’s Always Fine, why are you stuck on a death loop? I’ve had a word with myself and I’m here to bring you Good Vibes. I’ve got a ton of good news to share with you, so strap in.
(Quick side note before I throw glitter all over you - I am devastated that we are in this mess because of our collective mistreatment of animals. Have you seen the footage of Wuhan market, where this all started? It is harrowing. It is everything that is wrong with humans. It is a malpractice and it has to stop. Not just in Asia, but here, there and everywhere. They might chop up dogs in China but we are no better in the way we treat cows and chicken here. The next global pandemic could come from the way we treat pigs (hi swine flu) so let’s not go pointing the blame stick until we take a long good look at ourselves.)
These are my paternal grandparents. See they are both wearing their RAF wing pins? They flew spitfires (and other aircraft) in World War 2. They flew for our freedom.
I’ve banged on about them before - sorry - it’s probably my proudest achievement, to happen to be related to such brave wartime folk. All I did was happen to be born in their lineage, and I haven’t even taken after them in the bravery stakes. All I have to do to fight for the freedom of my future grandchildren is Not Go Out. Will I be a hero? Yes. Will I get any medals? Probably not.
But, to anyone thinking staying home is boring, or not going to be effective, or an overblown exaggeration of what needs to be done, or thinking you’re young and it won’t matter if you do get the virus, please, be a hero. Stay home, save lives. Be kind to yourselves and each other - this is a time for pausing, reflecting, spending quality time with your household and yourself.
Putting aside the devastating death toll, economic fallout, industries on their knees, jobs lost, the despicable food fights…. here’s a GLITTER BOMB! Much greatness is emerging.
An intensive care nurse has created a children’s book to help tackle anxiety in children. The free online publication, “Dave the Dog is worried about coronavirus” by Molly Watts, can be downloaded here.
People are hanging up fairy lights to shine light in these dark times and send a signal of solidarity to the NHS. Good lord do we love our NHS - three people a second signed up to volunteer to support the NHS, smashing their target.
I thought today might be the day I actually cry about the virus, because there’s talk of food shortages and I am scared. But then I watched these videos about dogs and cats thinking home-workouts are playtime and I smiled instead.
Gin distilleries are switching production and using their ethanol stock to make hand sanitisers. Pubs are offering to drop round groceries or bring you a hot meal.
Care home group CHD Living have launched a campaign, Adopt A Grandparent, to combat loneliness by asking people to become virtual volunteers during the crisis, offering remote companionship to those in care, with video calls, drawings, letters and poetry. Find out more here.
Friends and families are checking in on each other and remembering each other. We’ve got my mum and sister here and my sis, Pip, has special needs. I’m not sure how much she understands about what is going on, but she’s picking up a vibe from all the chats we’re having in earshot. The other day Mum asked her, do you want to wear a t-shirt under your jumper today? To which Pip mused: ‘Yes, I think I will, to keep my spirits up.’
Little does she know she’s keeping all our spirits up. In times of peril, Pip can always be relied upon to bring sunshine.
The threat of the virus has brought society to a crashing halt. Everyone is slowing the fuck down. We are off the hamster wheel, into the hammock. Albeit a hammock swinging in the wind of uncertainty, an anxiety cocktail in our hands, but still. Here is a beautiful article about getting to know your own mind during confinement. Think of self-isolation as your mission, and take advice from astronauts here.
I found the last few Sam Harris podcasts greatly comforting, helpful and interesting. Especially his latest, which reminded me how important meditation is at a time like this. Thank you, King Sam.
And you can never have enough John Robins in your life - here’s his take on surviving isolation. John and Elis’s Isolation Tapes are a ray of sunshine right now. I hope all these links send you off down some positive, hopeful wormholes.
I’ll leave you with some Buddhist sentiments my mum sent me:
“And the people stayed home. And read books, and listened, and rested, and exercised, and made art, and played games, and learned new ways of being, and were still. And listened more deeply. Some meditated, some prayed, some danced. Some met their shadows. And the people began to think differently.
"And the people healed. And, in the absence of people living in ignorant, dangerous, mindless, and heartless ways, the earth began to heal.
"And when the danger passed, and the people joined together again, they grieved their losses, and made new choices, and dreamed new images, and created new ways to live and heal the earth fully, as they had been healed."
Send me your metaphorical glitter bombs, I’m bang up for good news. I have high hopes for humankind, so long as we remain kind, calm and compassionate, we’ll come out the other side with more respect for each other and the planet we call home.