Ever since it was reported that Boris Johnson was in hospital, I have been feeling more uneasy than usual. When he didn't end his self-isolation on Friday, I got the feeling his symptoms weren't mild, and now he is intensive care. It turns out many on the left like me have been feeling similarly distressed although all of us detest Boris Johnson.
A week ago, if you had asked me how I would react to such a development, my response would have been with indifference. But, that is not how it has turned out. I feel empathy for him and his family. Maybe it is because he is the Prime Minister of the country, the most powerful person in the UK, and seeing him struggling for his life makes one feel even more powerless and vulnerable. Maybe it is because he is the first and most famous person I know who is in intensive care. Maybe it is the fact that however he is as a person or a politician, he is someone's son, dad, uncle, nephew, etc.
Whatever it is, his sickness has shaken me, and a lot of people up. Plans of leaving the lockdown buffed up and having achieved a lot of progress on my PhD thesis seem fanciful. A lockdown as a natural habitat for introverts feels like a perverse thought.
But, it is important to remember that one swallow doesn't make a summer. It is important to take every day as it comes and treat oneself with limitless kindness. Today, I am proud that I managed to have a productive day at work despite all the distressing distractions. All I can do is my best.
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