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A note from the Editor

“I’ve seen a look in dogs’ eyes, a quick and vanishing look of amazed contempt, and I am convinced that basically dogs think humans are nuts.” 
– John Steinbeck

I’ve no doubt mentioned this a time or two before, but I have a dog that by all conceivable reckoning is tailor made for wanton destruction and general, unfettered waywardness. He’s a four-legged calamity with a capacity for chaos unparalleled, a capacity which increases significantly when he’s left unobserved for absolutely any length of time. Suffice it to say that lockdown presented a far more brutal wing-clipping for him than it did for me.

Of course, a mutual understanding of our respective domestic boundaries was quickly reached via the usual methods: passive aggressive posturing; measured debate and, naturally, tests of strength. It was a close call in each respective field of combat. In the end, blissful cohabitation between myself and my dog was achieved by a shared desire to embrace change. Something we could all do with emulating as lockdown lifts and we begin our slow and steady return to the before times. In truth, I’ll miss our afternoon rewatchings of Hamilton, our mutual appreciation for whisky breakfasts (and the rarer, more exuberant Cognac brunches that often followed), and our oft-heated, ill-fated games of chess. But change is change. You can’t stop it.

As we emerge from lockdown with the faint markings of the so-called ‘new normal’ on the horizon, I feel a pang of optimism as I envisage people embracing a similar take on the importance of change. I imagine people pushing on with a renewed sense of focus, a clearer sense of purpose, and an increased consideration for others. But then I see the unbridled self importance at the train stations, the unapologetic selfishness at the supermarket checkouts, the sheer shoulder-to-shoulder stupidity at the bartop. I remember that the more things change, the more they stay the same. In those instances my optimism wanes a little, and I find myself overcome with the sudden urge to run home, lock my doors, and get utterly shitfaced with my dog.

Anyway, this issue The Essential Journal goes out to the theme of change and those striving to embrace it. 

Enjoy.

Will Halbert