An argument with reality

The present lockdown is similar to autumn, which symbolises the time when 'everything falls away'

With most of humanity forced to live under innumerable restrictions, refrains about a wasted year echo regularly as the pandemic continues. We regret opportunities lost and unfulfilled. Should this be a year of surrendered hopes, scattered designs and unexpanded horizons? Not necessarily, says the writer Pico Iyer as he reflects on “lights” that can make autumn bearable, acceptable, and even magical.  Autumn Light: Season of Fire and Farewells , which he wrote last year in another context, can help us during this unique crisis “make our peace with it and see it as a friend”. Mr Iyer’s conclusion, “I see