Tempered optimism!

I used to think - both misguidedly and arrogantly - that, given a decent education and the important facts, that most people would see sense on any given issue. The fact that I have had a decent education is simply true: the arrogance is in assuming that my interpretation of the facts is the sensible one!

I suppose that many things have chipped away at that position over the years, but it all came tumbling down in 2016 with the Brexit referendum. Mind you, even after acknowledging my own arrogance, if I'm honest I still put the referendum result down to people's hearts overriding their heads: I can't begin to think they were right.

I think where I was misguided, though, was in not realising that some people are simply, wilfully stupid. The current Covid deniers are a case in point; no amount of evidence - and god knows there's ample - will convince them.

All of the above has gone some way to moderating my habitual optimism, or perhaps it's better to say that it has become more focussed; I think there are hard times to go through globally and nationally. More locally, though, I still feel irrepressibly upbeat.

Today, I took Dan out in his car: he drove us into Kendal and then we took the road out to junction 37, crossed the M6, and took the windy road east through the hills on the far side. After a couple of dreary miles you round a corner and are surprised with this spectacular view. That's what I want 2021 to be like :-)

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