THERE is an old story – probably apocryphal – of a motorist from London lost in what was to him a wilderness dominated by narrow lanes and high, leafy Devon hedges. Espying a fellow trundling along the road in front and assuming he was a local chap who would know his way about this arcane area dominated by foliage, roads scarce wide enough to take a wheelbarrow and with a dearth of signposts, he stopped to ask him the way. Once in possession of the facts regarding the driver’s desired destination, the countryman, a gloomy expression on his face, delivered a line pregnant with negativity and pessimism. Shaking his head slowly but sadly, he mouthed a view as devastating metaphorically as would be a torpedo literally if a naval battle was in progress. ‘If I was heading for there,’ he opined, ‘I wouldn’t be starting from here.’

These words came to me as I raised a glass at midnight on December 31st (several if truth be told) to the new annum – that of our Lord, 2022. ‘Happy New Year’ universally was the cry – an honest, benevolent wish – from millions of lips across the nation at that moment, most uttered with hope and goodwill to all. How many said such with optimism, though, is a very different matter. For as we sit and gaze at the 12 months which lie ahead, we contemplate, truly, the unknown – a period shrouded in murky mists which, whilst such might well lift, could in reality last for a very long time.

Most certainly to me the words of the local fellow in the lonely lane hold relevance as we embark on another year; if we wish to reach our desired destination, which has to be the attainment of good health, fulfilment, contentment, success and peaceful co-existence with all about us, would we be “starting from here”?

There is one certainty, of course – we cannot commence our journey through 2022 from anywhere else; the problems which beset us individually, nationally and globally are standing there before us, often vividly, even alarmingly, and it is up to the human race to overcome such – there is unlikely to be any divine intervention.

So what are these demons that bar our path as we continue our journey upon the crater ridden, mountain-like road that is life? Covid-19, of course (and in particular the Omicron variant of such), remains as the principal threat to a tolerably normal existence; whilst vaccinations have helped reduce the number of severe infections, it continues to be rampant in many parts of the globe and at any time a new variant could appear to terrorise us and to force us once more into a ‘lockdown’.

Even if the health and well-being of the nation can be returned to something approaching pre-2020 normality – which would be a mighty triumph in itself when one considers the traumas, backlogs and emergencies suffered by amongst others the NHS – other major concerns clamour for attention and resolution. Financial instability threatens not only the United Kingdom, but also many of the wealthy, more advanced nations of the west. In the third world poverty – indeed, famine – is spreading on an almost unprecedented scale as innocent people become victims of an unholy trinity of Covid, war and drought.

Indeed, it would appear that the plague has formed a chilling alliance with a menace that is an even greater threat to our lives – climate change, or global warming as many choose to call it. The main challenge though, is that whilst Covid can ultimately be held at bay and probably will be if vaccinations are rolled out with a larger degree of global uniformity, the warming of the world is a very different matter. There are no ‘jabs’ that can cure this – indeed, no guaranteed solution of any kind. The only possible ‘safe passage’ towards the future survival of humankind lies with how steadfastly all nations change their behaviour ‘now’, not tomorrow, or the day after that; universally, all must adopt the pursuit of a pollution free environment as their goal – then hope and pray for the best. At present, despite positive talk, actions do not give scope for great hope; as the saying goes, “the road to hell is paved with good intentions.”

These are possibly the darkest shadows which envelop us as we stagger into a new year. There are others, of course; Russia and Putin, China and the ‘debt trap’, The Taliban and all forms of terrorism, the list goes on. It’s no good losing sleep over such, of course – we just have to get on with it. For myself I have but two hopes for the year – that Argyle have as good a first half of it as they did the second part of 2021 – and that I am still present and correct on the 31st December to raise a glass truly filled with optimism for the future happiness of all who live on this troubled globe.