Lockdown
Lockdown has been a condition imposed on humans from the time of the Israelites in the desert but I have been struck by the similarities between our present days and the times of the Stuart monarchies. First, of course there is the plague and the rushing of people to the country to avoid it as well as the quarantining of ships in the Thames but my attention was recently drawn to the lockdown after the beheading of Charles 1. The Commonwealth prohibited dancing and singing and any form of enjoyment for ten years until it was relieved by the Restoration in 1660. That released lots of pent up energy but over the next eight years the people of Britain became irritated with the ‘old life’ of pre-Commonwealth days. Unrealised, the Commonwealth had introduce new ideas and the people were no longer prepared to accept that the King’s world was law but felt the king, and even the church leaders, were subject to the law. That new concept made them turn to a system more in keeping with their new outlook and lifestyle and bring William from the Netherlands. Even with the limited easing of restrictions today, we can see the explosion of energy causing breaches of guidelines but those will settle and a new life style will emerge. It is to be hoped that the development of that life style will not be cramped by traditionalists or those wishing to rewrite history. This is a time of opportunity, a time to create a new work environment, even a new society.