3 April

It's struck me that the idea of being alone and doing nothing has scared many people - there's a sort of frenzy of in-home entertainment being invented, that and increased booze, a frenzy of stimulation. It feels fake to me, like a sort of false bravado. Entertainment is one distraction in the face of difficulties, it's how we can avoid thinking, and our recreational 'lifestyles' are the reason we sleepwalk into crises like this. The Romans in the decline of their culture experienced the same, which Gladiator picked up on. The pandemic may bite harder and force us to actually confront ourselves, free from the distraction of entertainment. That could change the world, if we start to think rather than be constantly stimulated.