Unplug from the hive – At Home

Undoubtedly, what’s going on in eastern Europe at the moment would break your heart. Children’s hospitals being bombed, 12-year-olds having to walk out of Ukraine on their own, soldiers on both sides being killed. And for what? A dispute over territory? Lines on a map? A dictator’s legacy? As is often the case with wars of any kind, it’s the normal people who are bearing the brunt. It’s not Putin’s neck on the line – or not yet anyway.

As a lot of families did last week, we gathered up some bits and pieces – toiletries, towels, toys – filled a few bin-bags and made our way to one of the local drop-off spots. It was literally the very least we could do and more than that, with the kids being only too aware of what is happening, I thought it would be a good lesson in giving.

On the way though, as we were driving along, listening to the radio, the news came on. Immediately, I reached across and turned the volume up. It was only going to be about one thing and sure enough, the lead story was latest on the Russian invasion.

The newsreader wasn’t ten seconds into the report however, when Herself reached out and turned the radio down. “They don’t have to hear it,” she said, sotto voce, with a nod to the little people on the back seat.

At first all I could think of was: I’m missing the ruddy news! But after a moment’s consideration, I had to agree.

I remember as a child from the ‘80s the whole, the-world-is-going-to-go-up-in-a-mushroom-cloud paranoia, especially after Chernobyl. It was a frightening epoque but at the same time, it was a safer, more cosseted childhood to what children have today.

We all live in the Age of Information and with Twitter, Facebook, Tiktok, 24-hour news and mobile communication devices in all our back pockets, it’s difficult if not nigh-on impossible to avoid the latest disaster the world is facing. We are veritably saturated in binary bad news wherever we go and unless you consciously unplug from the cyber-hive, it’s inescapable. The answer? Unplug.

I personally don’t think the human psyche is capable of dealing with 25/8 bad news. These days, if a mad man decapitates someone in New Zealand, we’re hearing about it via alerts on our mobile five minutes later. Similarly, if a tsunami wrecks a beach resort in Fuji, we’re reading or hearing about the devastation before the waves have subsided.

Whilst not wanting to belittle disasters and associated human suffering, in order to stay sane ourselves and at the same time, protect our little humans, there has to be a balance.

In terms of the Ukrainian crisis, we can donate supplies and we can make financial contributions and we can even keep those poor people in our prayers – we can do all of these things – but we owe it to ourselves and our children to unplug from the cyber-hive, venture outside, soak up some sunshine and ultimately abide by the Serenity Prayer. “God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, The courage to change the things I can, And the wisdom to know the difference.”

Amen.

It seems a tad trite to talk about TV after that but that’s what I’m getting paid for so here goes…

First up this week is Tom Daly’s Hell of a Homecoming (Monday at 9pm on BBC1)…

The Olympic diver takes on an epic endurance challenge as he rows, cycles, swims and runs his way from the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in Stratford to his home town of Plymouth. The first day begins with a 5am start at the Aquatics Centre in the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, where Tom won his first Olympic medal in 2012. Just nine weeks earlier Tom had never been in a rowing boat before, but his challenge begins with a demanding five mile row all the way to Tower Bridge in central London.

Alternatively, Joanna Lumley’s Great Cities of the World (Thursday at 9pm on ITV)…

The actress takes a look at the unusual aspects of three of the world’s greatest metropolises, beginning with a trip to Paris. She takes a hot-air balloon ride, visits the fire-damaged Notre-Dame, meets heiress Daphne Guinness, buys a vintage Chanel suit, and meets Ibrahim, refugee turned inner-city beekeeper.

And lastly, Earth’s Great Rivers II: Zambezi shows Friday at 9pm on BBC2…

Follow the journey of the mighty Zambezi – Africa’s wildest river. It floods across endless plains, fuelling the migration of 30,000 wildebeest, turning villages into islands accessible only by boat. It plunges over cliffs, creating the largest curtain of water on Earth – Victoria falls.