In a crisis, the human spirit prevails worldwide

The human spirit remains an enigma. When the going is easy it tends to be self-centred. But when things become really tough, like typhoons or raging bush fires leaving people homeless, it rises up out of the ashes, and shows gumption with loads of empathy.

We are going through a disaster period with Covid-19, an economy on the brink and saddled with the dreaded lockdown.

Collectively we should all be in sackcloth and ashes, but, hey, look around you. Despite the discomfort of wearing masks and having hands and trolleys disinfected and forced to keep safe distances between shoppers – all nuisance things that should put folk in a bad mood – camaraderie is palpable.

Elderly are assisted; selfishness and intolerance prevalent during good times turn into caring.

At home, families are finding ways of making the tedium more bearable. Dads vacuum floors, children make their own beds. One oke even did the equivalent of the Comrades in his garden.

The spirit prevails worldwide. People locked up in flats are standing on balconies laughing, singing and playing musical instruments.

My favourite young son in Wales sang Nessun Dorma on his balcony. Lovers of music (remember the Eisteddfod?) his Welsh neighbours seized the moment and the sound of choir pieces echoed off the nearby Panarth waterfront.

“So long as the human spirit thrives on this planet, music in some living form will accompany and sustain it and give it expressive meaning.”

Radio stations here earmarked a time for listeners to join pop singer Kurt Darren in singing the anthem. Remember, it was Kurt who was lambasted for fouling the words the last time he sang it. Now he’s been forgiven for what was then an unforgiveable sin.

Even I was carried away with the thought of doing something similar in our complex. But I was reminded, in a nice but firm way, with a voice that only a mother would tolerate, it won’t crack it.

But we do have a number of musicians who play during our Carols by Candlelight, but with the high walls around each unit, the sound won’t carry. But we are all coping.

See, the human spirit is a strange animal. Weird at times. But, oh so good.

Cliff Buchler.

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