Lost in Space: Found at last

Frankly, I don’t know the two NASA astronauts who were stuck in space for 286 days, but I felt a sense of palpable relief when, thanks to the intervention of Elon Musk and SpaceX, they finally touched down off the coast of Florida last Tuesday. There’s been a lot of finger pointing as to why these poor souls were hung out to dry far away from planet earth, but the blame seems to sit squarely with former president Joe Biden. Others claim it was a budgetary issue but really all that matters is that they are now back home, safe and sound.

When Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore emerged into the sunlight after being shrouded in silky, silent darkness for nine months, it was obvious that they were severely dehydrated and frail. They appeared to have aged a few decades as their lonely sojourn took its toll on their health. Now they will have a long recovery period and hopefully will return to their former peak condition and be back in space before long.

I was shocked to see how little these experienced astronauts earn, given how precarious and dangerous their missions are but then if you love your job, salary probably isn’t the most important thing. I meet many super wealthy people in my work but the more money they have, the more miserable and dissatisfied they seem to be. Huge wealth brings multiple responsibilities and unless offered on a plate via inheritance, can also have many strings attached. When I lived in London, I had a neighbour who was a hugely successful city trader, and he earned a fortune. All the same, he worked around the clock and was constantly exhausted and wired. He had all the baubles but appeared listless and unhappy with his lot. In the end his relationship foundered, he became depressed and suffered burn out. It taught me big lessons about how important it was to truly love one’s work, regardless of income. Of course, earning money is important and necessary but nothing compares with feeling excited and motivated to get up for work each day.

So, that’s how I imagine the astronauts must feel when they set off in space. It is a truly unique experience that very few people will have the privilege of sharing. I suppose, for them, money is far less importance than the thrill of the ride.

Chilling youth

Similarly to many, I was glued to the Netflix show, Adolescence, which offered a masterful portrayal of an unlikely teen murderer living in the UK. The four-part series was filmed in a continuous sequence over a few weeks with a single take approach; not an easy thing to pull off. It is a rollercoaster ride from the first episode where your heart goes out to a seemingly innocent looking young boy accused of killing his female classmate, to the intense, chilling third episode, and grim conclusion. The performances by 15-year-old Owen Cooper, seasoned actor, Stephen Graham, and Erin Doherty who plays a child psychologist, are all superb.

What is so terrifying about the series is the very real sense of menace in the northern comprehensive school attended by the accused boy. The pupils are all but feral, the teachers mostly resigned and unmotivated, and nothing more than gatekeepers to hell.

I was never a child that relished school, especially in my teenage years and university marked liberation of the soul for me. Still, my private girls’ school, more like St Trinians, was thankfully, a far cry from this hideous and frightening landscape. Still, I do remember one memorable April Fool’s Day when the entire school revolted. It wasn’t quite as explosive as the film, If, but there were elements of it. What began as harmless japes played out on teachers, took a sinister turn when pupils gagged and tied up teachers and locked them in store cupboards, placed wires along the corridors and unhinged doors. Fortunately no teacher was seriously hurt in the incident, but the police were called and many received suspensions and detentions. At first I found the festive atmosphere quite fun but when things took a turn for the worse and teachers genuinely looked terrified, with some crying, I realised something had gone horribly awry. I ended up hiding in a storeroom with two friends and my adored Classics teacher, the only way we could protect her from a rampaging, malicious mob.

So, that taught me that even the most fragrant teenagers can turn into killing machines and that mob rule and incitement can turn anyone quite mad. Amazingly, the incident never made the press, and the police were discreet for the sake of the school’s reputation. The next April Fool’s Day, everyone was on high alert and the police on standby, but the day passed without incident. Maybe harsh lessons were learned.

Protest at your peril

There’s been a huge amount of polemic and fury about over-tourism in Mallorca but as the season is nearly upon us, it’s time for tempers to calm down and a cold rationality to take over. I totally understand the anger of locals desperate for affordable rents and house prices, but this goes way beyond a tourism issue. The local regional and Spanish governments need to get a grip on the crisis once and for all and build affordable housing. The other main bone of contention are low wages and high taxation. Tourists cannot be blamed for these issues. Yes, we need to find balance come the season for sustainability reasons above all, but tourists aid the economy and until other viable professions and sources of income are available in Mallorca, they are needed, whatever anyone thinks.