For an overcrowded world, it feels quite lonely at the moment. And like the Coronavirus, no one has immunity to the difficulties that our own and others isolation brings. Routine can mask some of its impact, but lengthy and protracted time alone often presents innumerable challenges. 

But like many aspects of this Pandemic, look in the right places and we can find new opportunities and knowledge. To provide some company for our lonely minds and bodies, and help us better understand how to cope with the distance that surrounds us, let’s meet a truly great philosopher and learn from a remarkable idea.

Outbreak. Transmission. Asymptomatic. Lockdown. R-value. Isolation. Distancing. Quarantine. PPE. Ventilator. For many of us these words have become all too familiar in the past months. It is a vocabulary that is cold and functional and describes the coronavirus pandemic in stark and bleak terms, devoid of any possibility or hope.

Yet, amidst this far-reaching and unwelcome event - that for so many brings fear and anxiety – it is possible to find hope and opportunity. To help us seek this out and gain inspiration for our wearied minds, we need to go on a journey far, far into the vastness of space,  discover a distant star, learn about its story and find opportunity from chaos.      

The alarm goes. You wake up. The routine begins. It is another day at home. Walk a few steps to the office. You check the calendar. More Zoom calls to attend. Online lectures booked. Job applications to complete. Tomorrow is the same, and so on for the foreseeable future. This prospect can make, for some, finding the motivation to make it through the day without drifting into thoughts, hopes or fears, challenging. 

Yet, I want to share an example of a great mind who encountered conditions not that dissimilar to our own, yet remained productive and industrious throughout and offers us inspiration for our own time.