From the desk of Roland Rocchiccioli – 3 May

The plethora of prognostications surrounding coronavirus are unsettling. While we must not bury our collective heads in the sand, or ignore the expert’s clear directives, we have no need for constant tales of gloom-and-doom.

THIS is not Armageddon. The reality is, we have to wait and see how this plays out. As The Queen said in her broadcast of encouragement, “We will meet again.”

News has become infotainment. Fact and fiction have become clouded. Stories predicting when life will return to normal are a waste of time and effort. They do nothing to advance the narrative, or serve the cause. Football will start again when footballs starts! So, too, will everything else. Quite simply, we have to wait. While this period of social isolation and unemployment is sorely testing, it is also a time for patience and quiet reflection. For years there has been a constant commentary of people being time poor. Now is an opportunity to look back at what has been, and to think about what the future will be after this pandemic has passed – and pass it will. Of that we can be certain.

We are tribal by temperament. Routines are central, and our work is the rent we pay for the space we occupy on earth. Without those two vital ingredients we have a propensity to slip into a slough of despond. We must not allow ourselves to be overhwlemed by the degree of emotional difficulty; to wallow in any imaginary tedium, or become a victim to the constant ticking of the clock. It is important to remember the quality of our lives is determined by the quality of our thinking. Temporarily, it is possible, difficult, but possible, to make-do with less money. We are taught that necessity is the mother of invention, and never was there a better time to be inventive; to think of things to do; to attend to all those personal and household chores which have, for too long, been ignored.

Being jolly is not easy when one is caught-up in problematic circumstances; however, there is one thing to be avoided at all costs: those stories which the lack the spark of optimism; which peddle a philosophy of bleakness supported by unfounded theories and spurious notions. They are the stories which President Trump labels ‘fake news’. News should be reported without editorial bent or agenda.

We are bloody lucky to be living in Australia at this difficult time in the history of the world. There is much for which we should be grateful. We are not Chicken Licken, the children’s farmyard story of mass hysteria (which is what happened with supermarket panic-buying). The sky is not going to fall on our heads. While this is not the time for complacency, we must keep calm and carry-on, as they did during WW2 when the Germans were raining bombs on London. If you have a penchant for self-pity, then stop and spare a thought for those hapless souls living in Africa, and for whom the prospect is truly bleak. If the pandemic were to take hold, it is impossible to estimate the number of potential deaths. It will, at minimum, be a decimation, literally.

As it happens, I am not an opera devotee; however, the Metropolitan Opera House, NYC, has been free streaming a different opera, every day. To date, I have watched 28 magnificent productions from the world’s largest opera house being sung by the world’s greatest voices. The Berliner Phiharmoniker Digital Concert Hall has put a library of concerts et al at our disposal. Again, many of the greatest musicians and concert platform singers performing, for free. The National Theatre of Great Britain and the Australian Ballet are streaming productions, free!

In the interim, it is time to stop the guessing games (we’ll be told when things are returning to normal), the juvenile conspiracy theories, finger-pointing, and constant carping. Be grateful and enjoy the time we have to devote to other activities, and to each other.

Roland can be heard on RADIO 3BA, every Monday morning from 10.45 and contacted via [email protected].