As far as our primitive survival instinct is concerned, any pain is bad or dangerous. It doesn’t compute that medical science has given us the means to live longer and be healthier and that some of the ways it does that will hurt. It is this neurology that also objects to the drawing of blood, which can be a very specific form of needle phobia based on the fundamental fear that, if we’re bleeding, we might die.
The cliches ‘home is where your heart is’, ‘you can’t choose your family’ and ‘absence makes the heart grow fonder’ are never more true than at Christmas and show how mixed blessings can be at this time of year.
We are all swept along on this tide of uncertainty and have the choice of sinking, paddling a new course or drifting.. This is a good time to set sail for calmer water and take on board new ideas and opportunities created in this strange time.
It is only now as measures taken to protect people financially during lockdowns are being lifted that the true personal cost of the pandemic will become clear. Adjusting to the consequences is going to test the mental health of the nation.
The dating world makes love, trust and commitment elusive as so many make promises they have no intention of keeping. While dating apps are no longer exclusively for casual hook-ups and have evolved into a universal go-to for those seeking relationships, the rules are unclear and expectations often unrealistic.
Any crisis accelerates change. Economically, socially and technologically, there will be global developments in infrastructure. This will potentially lead to better ways to work, live and benefit from scientific progress post pandemic.