11 August

We look back mystified that soldiers in the world wars were excited to be heading off to fight for a cause. But why don’t we relish a real existential challenge? Social media is swamped with happy diversion to supposedly offset the ‘negativity’ of the pandemic. A pandemic isn’t negativity, it’s a fight. The mental health crisis we hear about - isn’t it most likely that we don’t understand any more how to act together for a higher cause? Everything is about ‘me’ and how I feel. Another victory for the economy, which turned a society of fighters into a society of weak and cowardly individual consumers. We don’t even join unions, they fight too much. Mission accomplished.