A note to fellow lockdown lethargics

Strange times, these. Dull and unsettling in equal measure. Much of life feels as though it is stuck in some interminable holding pattern, waiting for permission to land and move on. The days drag, even for those of us accustomed to working from home. But the city is a dreary place, for now, stripped of most of its conveniences and opportunities. 

Worse still, there are professional problems. This is a game in which you’re always supposed to have a view and the hotter it is the better. Incentives favour certainty; if in doubt double down on your lack of doubt. Bets should not be hedged; everything is a triumph or a disaster and we ricochet from one to the other unencumbered by a moment’s self-reflection.

At least, sometimes that seems to be the way the game is played. Shamelessness and faux-contrarianism are rewarded; hucksters and charlatans can always make a buck or two.