A NEW LEAF

One of the saddest sights in our modern existence can be observed each time you venture out to a bus or train station. Standing on the platform, waiting for the train to come, hundreds of pairs of eyes glued to hand-held minicomputers; the glow of screens feeding our insatiable appetite for ceaseless content. The illuminated screen lures us away from the physical world, implanting us into one that is seductively stimulating and seemingly real.

Last year, as many of us plunged into an almost entirely online existence during the pandemic, I found myself retreating into a space of quiet solitude and abandonment. Solitude and abandonment are not words one usually associates with joyfulness, but that’s exactly what I found when I ventured