Small change: keep the faith

In his book On Drink, Kingsley Amis talked of the Metaphysical Hangover: the latter being “that ineffable compound of depression, sadness (these two are not the same), anxiety, self-hatred, sense of failure and fear for the future”.

It is hard to think of a better analogy for our post-COVID world. Leaders everywhere report a sense of overwhelm, exhaustion, pessimism — what the Germans call weltschmerz.

But every picture contains light as well as darkness. We can focus on economic stagnation, or be awestruck by the fact that trillions of dollars are still transacted each day. We can bemoan inflation, or consider the fact that inflation is caused by excess money swilling round the system waiting to be spent. We can despair at decline, or contemplate the fact that repairs are possible, and our quality of life is still remarkable by historic standards.

This is not to dismiss suffering. But taking the broader view can bring a welcome shift in perspective. And it’s one that suggests, in time, everything will be okay.

Something to consider: where could we be a year, three years, a decade from now?

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