Life After a fairly grim anxiety-fueled couple of days last week, on Saturday night, oddly after watching the Panorama about Harvey Weinstein because sometimes correlation does not mean causality, I came to a number of rationalities which have helped me get some perspective. That night I posted them on Twitter as one of those thread things, but I thought I'd immortalise them here too. They're not meant to be seen as a list of hints and tips. Everyone will have their own way of getting through this. But I'd like them somewhere I can bookmark easily.
(1) I've been in captivity for two weeks - my parents are in their seventies and so very much at risk and was feeling antsy about not going outside, even to the local post box. But my parents because they're so very much at risk will have to stay in themselves for at least twelve weeks. If they have to do it, then so can I. It's my new project, can I stay at home for twelve weeks? How much longer?
(2) More than any person in human history I'm in a privileged position. I have access to all of known human knowledge, including all of the films, tv, music and books I could ever want to read. I have Prospero's library at my disposal and then some.
(3) Screens. Being sat in front of screens. Except they're also windows and wormholes through which I can view the universe. How can I complain about that? I can wake up every day and have a new experience by metaphorically stepping through one of those portals.
(4) There's no use worrying about the future when I don't have any control over it other than the necessary paranoia which is keeping me at home. As a wise wizard once said, "All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us." Having this time with my parents is precious.
(5) It's April 04, 2020 at 10:00PM and Love Actually is still rubbish: http://ift.tt/1Gs7DTh
(6) Stop listening to the daily briefing. Try and limit my exposure to virus coverage on Twitter especially links to human interest stories, for my mental health to stop wallowing in other people's misery and hope to god I won't go there myself (and yes on reflection I know that paraphrases one of the worst lines in one of least thought through lyrics of all time (depending on how you read it or how it's sung) but all I can do is offer a guilty shrug). Essentially stick to the science and focus on a single source like The Guardian's daily live blog.
(7) That it's ok to avoid certain films right now, especially domestic dramas either contemporary or in the recent past particularly if they feature a death as the motivating incident unless it's in a drama context like noir or action. I used to have a rule to not watch films which include the words "harrowing portrayal" in the synopsis. I'm now adding "if people look sad on the poster". They'll still be there when this slow apocalypse is over.
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