There have been many months in which I have been reflecting on what the pandemic is teaching us as a ‘civilised’ society and as human beings. This is the first time I have started to distill them fully in writing, although I did refer to the pandemic in my last blog 9 months ago, written for Dying Matters Week: What Matters Most: Reflections on the Pandemic. The Way We Live & Die Matters.
Statistics for Covid-19 Pandemic as of 5.2.22
World Cases – 392,511,006
World Deaths – 5,746,964
There are so many things to say, and many have already done so. My reflections largely arise from my role as a family doctor, viewed from the lens of a lover of Jesus and consequently my love of people.
There are so many lessons that we could take on board as individuals, as local communities and as a nation. Unlike my highly esteemed fellow medical graduate from the Nottingham University, now deservedly decorated Professor Sir Jon Van-Tam, I do not have the position or authority to influence government or public health policy. However, most patients still trust their doctor, even in these cynical ‘post truth’ times and have shared many stories of hardship, despair, loss, and hope. These stories have put the meat on the bones of the stark truths linked to our pandemic experience. Depressingly, the learning is predictable, having been demonstrated time and time again by other pandemics preceding Covid-19. It has been well documented but not acted upon, with devastating consequences for our people, for sustainability and for global relationships.
The images below give a flavour of some of the themes to follow……
Musings. 