"Rodders, my son, this end of the world could be the making of us..." — Del Boy, Only Fools and Horses.
It's a sense of entrapment to which we are not accustomed. The releases to which we would normally look at this time of the year are not an option for us. An island nation, there was always the option to get to where the sun shines, where the headspace is clearer, to a place sufficiently different from our own that it would class as a break from the normal worries and stresses of human life.
For every ill, there was a remedy, a place to hide from it all; one of the beauties of living in modern Ireland was that we could remove ourselves from many of the woes of the world. Nuclear fallout, hurricanes, earthquakes, volcanoes, mass dispersion. Every one of these could be remedied by a run to the hills, to immerse yourself among friends; every problem shared was halved and quartered and so on through the rich poetry by which we converse.
But now, none of this is possible — in the traditional manner. We will get through this, but we will do it in a manner that we have not used before.
With schools and colleges closed for the next few weeks, and with many workplaces transplanted into people's homes, we are experiencing something unprecedented, meaning we have to make behavioural and life changes that not many foresaw just a month ago.
We can combat this by listening to the right advice, and not just what we hear from unofficial sources on social media and not from the cousin of a brother of the lad who works down the chip shop and swears he's Elvis.
Don't abuse someone for the last loaf in the shop. Don't be greedy. Don't forget that often those who need our help the most; those who are in the poorest position to mind themselves, are not the ones barging to the top of the queue for the last loo roll.
Over the next days and months we will find a different way; There are some among us young and old who have experienced bombs falling from the skies, of incidents where there was nowhere to run to, nowhere to hide. But for for the majority of the population, we have not ever known anything like this.
And we have to remember this, that we are not unique in our shock and state of paralysis from it all. We are fortunate that we are not alone in this; that every step we need to take along the way is mirrored by societies and communities right across the globe. We can learn from them and they can learn from us. Already there are initiatives under way as schools close and work slows down and we all have to operate from home.
Let us look out for one another; may those who are stronger help those who are weaker. Let us preserve the dignity of everyone who might be feeling vulnerable and afraid at this moment. There is justifiable cause for your concern, but equally, there is justifiable hope that this may not impact you at all in terms of your physical health. Let us prove ourself as a caring society.
This is a saga that is changing by the hour. A vaccine will be here eventually. Through proper hygiene, adherence to guidelines, and an absence of recklessness, we can stop this thing getting hold. Mind yourselves and each other...
