What we know, however, is that we’re far better at collaborating in times of crisis. It’s no accident that the most visionary social programmes to come out of the US and UK in the past century – the New Deal and the welfare state – came in the wake of the Wall Street Crash and Second World War respectively. When we experience common hardship, we naturally pull together, becoming more empathetic, altruistic and visionary. Crises make us realise how precious our everyday lives are to us, so for a time at least, we appreciate what we already have. Crises, in short, give us the chance to readjust
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