Time

Hi everyone

The number of daily deaths is falling albeit slowly and while the figures yo-yo a bit mainly because of how they are put together but overall the trend is encouraging and clear.

However, I sense people are no longer really focussed on the stats……their newness and shock have worn off and they have becoming numbing.  It seems that what is of concern to most people now is the long haul of this and the end of lockdown is on everyone’s minds – how and when and for whom will the ‘Ending’ come.  Comments like ‘I’ll go mad if this lasts beyond six weeks’ seem to sum up many attitudes. Someone else said ‘I just hate living like this – fear in front of me, behind me and under me.  I’d rather get the thing even though it might kill me.’   Another wrote ‘my greatest and growing concern is the gradual lengthening of the horizon for getting back to some freedom of movement, both for us, and for workers so that I can order materials. I find not being able to do things because I don’t have and can’t get the materials extremely dis-spiriting. It is the lack of purpose....’  This man loves his Blue mindset – see last week’s blog – and many of us who were busy, focussed and productive through our work would mirror his sentiments.  Some good news for him – B and Q are opening selective stores – unfortunately Bristol not yet Chippenham at present. Their website is overloaded with long delays.

There are only two ways that Covid-19 will come to an end.  Either there is ‘herd immunity’ or an effective and widely available vaccine.  Wonderful to see Bill Gates saying his foundation will pay for its mass production.  Herd immunity means that 75 or 80% of the community are immune having had the disease (or been vaccinated).  We are a long way off either at present.  It will be interesting to watch Sweden’s outcomes because, of all the western countries, they have had the least restrictive policy – businesses largely remaining open – resulting in a much higher but manageable initial death rate and much lower economic disruption.  If the figures hold up their policy of moving fast to herd immunity will have been shown to be effective and encourage other countries to open up sooner.

What came to my mind in all this is our relationship with time.  ‘I’ll go mad if this lasts beyond six weeks’ reflects this.  Time is like the environment, life itself and other big presences.  How do we relate to them?  For myself,f with respect to time, not well. As someone always ‘busy and rushed’ I might say ‘I just don’t have the time’ – does anyone really think I have a different number of hours in my day to everyone else’s? It’s not time’s responsibility – my priorities and choices are my responsibility. Or I might hate time for apparently going so slow when I was bored or so fast when I was anxious. So as there is less to do now (despite zoom meetings, the garden, the cleaning, the online learning, the fitness routine, the cooking of so many more meals, the sleeping, sex, bathing, clothes washing – some or all of these!) -  the relative inactivity may contribute to our impatience for the Ending?

Leo Tolstoy said: ‘Remember there is one time that is important and that is now.  Because it is the only time when we have any power.’  

The Buddha said: ‘The secret of health for both mind and body is not to mourn for the past, worry about the future, or anticipate troubles but to live in the present moment wisely and earnestly.’

Perhaps by becoming more aware of our attitude to time and seeing it as a gift we might help ourselves in the current situation.  Time might even become our friend.

Finally some more practical comments and thanks to the various contributors.

For those in financial trouble or needing information this is a helpful debt charity offering free advice and various solutions: https://www.stepchange.org/

For those looking for some culture most of the major providers are allowing free online access with concerts and exhibitions – such as the Royal Opera House, National Gallery, the Southbank and even the Met in New York. You can go to their websites and explore.  At a less exalted level we enjoyed ‘Quiz’ on ITV catchup - a three parter reconstructing the alleged cheating in ‘So You Want to be a Millionaire’.  Perhaps enjoy with a takeaway – we had our first this week – popped it in the oven to decontaminate on arrival. Consider supporting local businesses e.g. for a Bengali meal from Calne http://www.spiceofbengal.com/ or the local Baraka Catering which prepares meals you can put in the fridge and eat over the next week or two (camilla@barakacatering.co.uk).

And a comment on masks. I have been advocating their use in public – because they reduce your chances of getting infected and infecting others.  Another local worthy pointed out to me that their removal and disposal after use is important – they need to be considered to be infected and so removed by pulling them off from the back not front of the head and either washed in soapy water for re-use or binned. Along with washing your hands of course. But not with bleach.

With love

Derek

I welcome feedback and do send details of any resources you have found particularly useful.

If you wish to be unsubscribed from the e mail list please contact me at derek1chase@outlook.com