Why does everything feel so 'flat' in Britain today?
Britain feels remarkably flat at the moment. Is it just me?
The other weekend, we travelled over the border into England. It just felt more miserable, flat and depressing. Anecdotally at least, this is one data point among many observations.
Britain feels like it is in the middle of a deep crisis of confidence. As a nation it feels like something is going wrong. In England it feels even worse.
As a nation we are not showing big dick energy, nor are we chillmaxxing and we are certainly not showing Big T energy.
We feel like a nation that has given up to a quiet desperation. It feels like a decline in national confidence, that is now getting mirrored across society.
As a society, we seem to have become trapped by two converging aspirations: Escape to Dubai or becoming a landlord.
Both of these aspirations signal something deeper. A reflection on the British soul. That we are, as a nation, in decline.
Escape or harvesting passive income.
When a nation's dominant aspirations shift towards escape and passive extraction rather than creation and contribution, it is a signal that people no longer believe the system will reward their effort.
It's hardly the vision or ambition of a healthy society.
Will it get better?
How we got to this place is a longer conversation. However, it will get better. Why?
We persist. We continue. We do not seem to stop. And this is good.
It shows that we can quietly still endure the tragedies and struggles of our times, held together by a British stiff upper lip.
Glimmers of hope and change do seem to be emerging.
Although they seem to be in the 'peripheries' of the British landmass. Scotland and Wales feel like parts of the country that are genuinely trying.
Living in Scotland feels far less bleak and flat than England. Scotland at least admits there are problems and appears willing to act on them.
The problem with Britain is really a problem with England.
England and the English feel lost, alone and trapped looking backwards.
England finds itself bailed out by a City of London that acts as its sugar daddy. It lives off old glories, like a former gold medallist in their 50s. Or thatt bloke in the pub that tells you he was a youth player at Man United in the early 1990s.
Scotland and Wales seem to be looking forward. As their national identities decouple from Britishness, they are freeing themselves to look forward, through concrete actions and investments.
Life in Britain might feel flat at the moment. However, there are glimmers of hope.
In my personal opinion, Scotland and Wales are showing that glimmers of hope can emerge when politics is closer to the people, when decisions are made locally, and when London is not viewed as the centre of the universe.
I would love to know your thoughts, please email me at joseph@homeworkinghenry.com
Thank you for reading this article. I appreciate you taking the time to read my thoughts. Especially in today's busy and hectic world.