Eyes to the horizon

Great post Jane

Thank you Jane, we have been told so much stuff which feeds fear and Armageddon, project fear had nothing on this.
We have survived wars, pestilence and famine (rationing).
Us Brits are resilient. Yes,there have been tragedies, yes, there is a lot of sorrow, but that is Life. We shall overcome, we shall survive!

Brilliant, optimistic post jane?

I agree, it's a time for a system reset. We'll lose some things (maybe they weren't that important after all) and we'll gain others (new ideas and possibly better).

It's been, and still is, a really sad time for those who have lost loved ones and this will unfortunately continue for a bit.

However, I've found that a lot of people are being much kinder to each other and I hope that's one of the things we manage to keep.

I'm sorry but I cannot share your optimism. This part of the U.K. (South Wales) hasn't recovered economically since the cut-backs of the eighties.
The majority of the jobs that were available pre covid were mostly in retail and pay was minimum wage. How many of those jobs have gone for good?
We live in a part of the world that has beautiful scenery, but that does not put food on the table. It such a long way from London and the S.East where the wealth is, and our transport system is dire.
I dread to think what sort of Christmas some kids are going to have this year, I do contribute to local food banks, but that is a drop in the ocean.
If improvements do come to the U.K. we will be at the back of the queue as usual

I'm not trying to be mindlessly optimistic. I well remember the bad times of the late 70s and 80s. Pay freezes and redundancies are not new for our generation. However, good interesting things came out of it. Just one example that I couldn't even imagine back then was the Internet. Its revolutionised life only a few decades on. What might somebody, some group of people or even just random entrepreneurs be hatching? Money is generated by the development of goods or services that others want or need to buy. Hence jobs are created and these new employees pay taxes and so it goes on.
The younger people that I know are busy trying to identify gaps in the market that didn't previously exist. They are not waiting for subsidies We may not see the fruits of their labours but others will. There'll be bright youngsters in Wales too. Let's encourage them along with all the others.

Great post Jane10!
When we look back even in our lifetimes the things that have come along are amazing! Who knows what is to come for our children and grandchildren.

Well said Jane10 I was thinking along these lines too. Good will come from this terrible year so let’s look for it now.
I suggest that cutting the red tape to speed up the delivery of a vaccine with no detriment to the quality, is a start.

Jane 10. I admire your optimism but disagree about the benefits of the internet etc. One reason that unemployment is going to rise is because of internet shopping, not so many people will need to be employed.

Also the two

Also the two are not connected. Poverty in the 70s did not lead to the internet.

It didn't have to be connected. I meant that out there somewhere are people coming up with big new ideas that we can't currently even imagine.

Funny old thing about Gransnet. One day somebody can post something that makes you incandescent with rage, next day they say something that you support wholeheartedly and want everyone else to agree with .

You're so right Jane10. The world gets better, sometimes it just stalls a bit and we have to do a bit of a reset. Look at the effort that the medical scientists have put into treatments and vaccines for Coronavirus. This video made me feel positive too.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=G7IOQGS7V94

I completely lost it on a local FB post for Brits in Belgium .
As the Postal service is very busy they are asking people who can to collect parcels from depots set up around the city.
The moaning and whinging was ridiculous, entitled would be the best way to describe it.
I just lost it, pointed out that as a disabled person I was incredibly grateful for the deliveries I have received and that instead of moaning they should be saying thanks to the , workers, mainly low paid, who have kept the country fed and open where they could plus the binmen, street sweepers etc at some risk to their selves and families.
There was more but within an hour I had 146 likes and the moaners went back to "working" and watching netflix.
I felt so much better.

HAZBEEN

Great post Jane10!
When we look back even in our lifetimes the things that have come along are amazing! Who knows what is to come for our children and grandchildren.

2 words, climate change

So Agree Jane
Ying and yang

Sadly very hard times for many now and the future.

But so much has already been achieved.
As well as vaccines, UK laboratories are now not just for the covid19 vaccine, but for future research.
Our amazing university scientists.
Amazing scientists from around the world.

People from all walks of life putting themselves forward to be the first to trial the vaccines on our

Without this pandemic 'Green issues 'were always on the back burner, now they seem to have gained momentum.

Spring 2020 was the year when all our seasand lakes were virtually free from pollution.
And when the traffic stopped we had cleaner air.

The proof to governments around the worldthat we can live cleaner, better lives.

And so much more....

In 2020 Life as we know it took a different turn.
But that turn may just bring with it promising future.?

Great post Jane10 -

These are extremely challenging times for the entire world; all countries, all people. It seems hard to fathom that every single person in the entire world is being affected by this novel virus but that is what is happening.

It is tough to try and be optimistic; however, if all that someone can do is see a tiny speck of hope or light, hold on to it! There are reasons and seasons for everything...eventually everything passes from what it once was to what it will be. We are being asked to completely re-assess our lives, our environment, our politics, our world...everything! We are in a monumental transformation, world-wide!

The internet is a huge gift for families, friends, etc. to at least see one another, at least be a part of life events until we move past this thing. Yes, on-line shopping has become the norm and it does affect small businesses in trying to stay afloat which is not good. However, it is because we are able to shop on line and avoid crowds that we can make some progress in moving forward and lessening the spread of the virus.

From all this darkness, despair and challenging times, a new paradigm is on the horizon. We cannot let the media instill fear and allow that to take hold. We cannot allow the darkness to be the winner here. We need to stay strong, hold positive thoughts as much as we are able to and believe that the light will be the victor into a world of many new and wonderful things.

Again, thank you for your post and stay safe all -

I shall resolve to be much more open minded about change and try to recognise the benefits instead of muttering about the good old days ......

That's the spirit GrannySomerset
I think I will join you.
Onwards and upwards ?

Well thats me told yggdrasil!
I will keep my other thoughts to myself in future.

Alegrias2

Funny old thing about Gransnet. One day somebody can post something that makes you incandescent with rage, next day they say something that you support wholeheartedly and want everyone else to agree with .

You're so right Jane10. The world gets better, sometimes it just stalls a bit and we have to do a bit of a reset. Look at the effort that the medical scientists have put into treatments and vaccines for Coronavirus. This video made me feel positive too.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=G7IOQGS7V94

Thanks for the link - looks to be a new channel which may be worth taking a look at again?

What an uplifting thread!
Looking for new ideas and creating new opportunities will lift the dark mood and move us all forward. It's called progress, and GrannySomerset is right - gloomy people muttering about the good old days need to "jog on."

Well done Jane10 for putting forward something forward looking, I agree, we have the chance to do things a bit differently for the future and should welcome change.

Sorry....too many forwards there!?