Photographed 29th May 2020 - 68 days into lockdown
Some years ago a prime minister of this country stated that there was no such thing as society. The events of the last weeks have shown that not to be so. Friends and families have helped each other, as they would, but it is the generosity of others - the kindness of strangers – that has also shown itself. I am reminded of a poem by John Donne some 400 years ago, “No man is an island”.
It would be nice to think that after the sound of clapping has faded, things will not go back to how they were. For example, those in the health care sector are valued and given the tools and the support to do their job, not only now during this pandemic but into the future.
And if, at some later time, your body or mind is in need of care – “the bell tolls for thee” – he or she who comes to the rescue, professional or other, may well be a stranger. It is called society.
Written 1st June 2020
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