SO, FREEDOM IS HERE. Or, at least, coming into view. As fewer rules restrict our movements, our meals, our hugs and our holidays, we must revisit the perplexing questions that once formed our internal monologues. What do I fancy for dinner tonight? Shall I go to the movies? Do I greet my colleagues with a kiss, or a handshake?
The frustration of these decisions no longer being delegated to government health officials is that one must start choosing. Which overpriced coffee shop do I want to buy my latte from? What excuse can I use for getting out of that birthday party? Which newly-reopened soft-play centre is least likely to be crawling with germs?
As one of Thatcher’s children (generationally speaking; I’m not actually Maggie’s lovechild), I was brought up to believe that freedom and choice are somehow inextricably linked (even if, as with privatised water-boards and train companies, the choice on offer is entirely illusory). But too much choice is dizzying. Look at how many competing postal services we now have—that’s of theoretical benefit to consumers; but, as a citizen who just wants to send a parcel occasionally, it’s confusing to decipher which one to use.
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