It’s hot in the UK. Very hot. And not the good kind. It’s not the only place suffering a heatwave. And yes we get it: there are places around the world always hotter than here. But in defence of the fact that the country was put under emergency alerts – and we’ve all been talking non-stop about the weather and how we miss the rain – the UK is not a country cut out for 40ºC weather. We don’t have enough fans, ice or air conditioning. We don’t even have any words to describe our torture other than "hot", "very hot", "extremely hot" and "hello, I can’t breathe anymore".
We have turned the weather discussion into an industrial complex, but probably only to hide from a frightening descent into pessimism. The sense of impending doom doesn’t just affect the UK, it feels omnipresent and threatening like a dark cloud. And we really want it to break: like a torrent of optimism in the stifling heat.
And it’s not just the atmosphere that is heavy; on everyone’s minds is the very real feeling that this is just the beginning of a radical shift in our climate. The wildfires that have broken out across the UK as well as continental Europe aren’t just burning land, trees, homes and entire landscapes, they are eviscerating our optimism.
Optimists move things forward. Pessimists don’t
It’s easy to get sucked into the sense we are now living constantly in a world that seems excessively downcast. The war in Ukraine and the concomitant crises of fuel and food rage on. Countries are in chaos – just look at what is happening in Sri Lanka. Inflation is going up. There’s a cost-of-living crisis. Covid-19 is far from over; in fact, cases are once again rising in some places. Before you write in with all sorts of other wars, famines, conflicts and troubles, just know that there are so many that are impossible to list, and I fear that what shreds of optimism that remain must be clung on to and magnified.
As individuals, optimism is supposed to make us live longer, make us healthier and also make us more successful. And that’s no surprise. As the late US president Dwight D Eisenhower once pointed out, “pessimism never won any battle”. That is to say, when faced with risk and opportunity, being pessimistic about the things that could go wrong can mean that no change or progress is made.
Optimism is what has made society today. Optimists move things forward. Pessimists don’t.
And yet, we find ourselves in an imbalance towards pessimism. Our public discourse – driven by politicians and the media – is driven typically towards the negative. Positive news stories are small. Sometimes their inclusion is so notable they are the quirky feel-good story at the end, a small salve to soothe the wounds from the relentless negativity of current affairs. No wonder so many of us find ourselves tuning out the news after a point. There’s only so much the soul can bear.
I get the feeling of pessimism. The promises of the brave new world, the space race, the post-war peace treaties … and that’s before the promises of the post-millennial world of technology that would break boundaries and democratise power, which, instead, seems to have taken dark turns and created new problems, some of which are so intangible that we don’t even know what they are.
But to move forward and create change, we must revive optimism. The sci-fi author Arthur C Clarke, whose writings have been prescient in many ways, took this view. “I am an optimist,” he said. “Anyone interested in the future has to be, otherwise he would simply shoot himself.”
More from Shelina Janmohamed
The good news is that we can learn optimism. Psychologists offer plenty of mind hacks. Notice good things as they happen. Train your mind to believe you can actually make good things happen in your life. Don’t blame yourself when things go wrong. When something good happens, give yourself credit. And remind yourself that, in general, setbacks are temporary.
There’s something about creating forward momentum, too: don’t dwell on the problem, focus on the solutions. Think about what lies ahead rather than the past, or even present problems.
When I look back at the pandemic, it makes me reflect on the difference between well-being – an almost passive, inert state that we all described and explored in enormous detail without anything else to do – and how little we spoke of living in a state of optimism: the mental state that helps us move towards a brighter future. One can be in a poor state of well-being at the same time as being optimistic. And then using that optimism to galvanise for a positive future state.
We can then inject this personal optimism into our collective pessimism. Personal optimism often derives from the feeling that we have some control and stake in our personal lives and can, therefore, deliver the positive future we hope for. We need to bring that sense of personal control and stake into our feelings and actions about society. As the late British prime minister Winston Churchill said, "an optimist is one who sees the opportunity in every difficulty".
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
if you go
The flights
Emirates have direct flights from Dubai to Glasgow from Dh3,115. Alternatively, if you want to see a bit of Edinburgh first, then you can fly there direct with Etihad from Abu Dhabi.
The hotel
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Located in the heart of Mackintosh's Glasgow, the Dakota Deluxe is perhaps the most refined hotel anywhere in the city. Doubles from Dh850
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Events and tours
There are various Mackintosh specific events throughout 2018 – for more details and to see a map of his surviving designs see glasgowmackintosh.com
For walking tours focussing on the Glasgow Style, see the website of the Glasgow School of Art.
More information
For ideas on planning a trip to Scotland, visit www.visitscotland.com
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How to invest in gold
Investors can tap into the gold price by purchasing physical jewellery, coins and even gold bars, but these need to be stored safely and possibly insured.
A cheaper and more straightforward way to benefit from gold price growth is to buy an exchange-traded fund (ETF).
Most advisers suggest sticking to “physical” ETFs. These hold actual gold bullion, bars and coins in a vault on investors’ behalf. Others do not hold gold but use derivatives to track the price instead, adding an extra layer of risk. The two biggest physical gold ETFs are SPDR Gold Trust and iShares Gold Trust.
Another way to invest in gold’s success is to buy gold mining stocks, but Mr Gravier says this brings added risks and can be more volatile. “They have a serious downside potential should the price consolidate.”
Mr Kyprianou says gold and gold miners are two different asset classes. “One is a commodity and the other is a company stock, which means they behave differently.”
Mining companies are a business, susceptible to other market forces, such as worker availability, health and safety, strikes, debt levels, and so on. “These have nothing to do with gold at all. It means that some companies will survive, others won’t.”
By contrast, when gold is mined, it just sits in a vault. “It doesn’t even rust, which means it retains its value,” Mr Kyprianou says.
You may already have exposure to gold miners in your portfolio, say, through an international ETF or actively managed mutual fund.
You could spread this risk with an actively managed fund that invests in a spread of gold miners, with the best known being BlackRock Gold & General. It is up an incredible 55 per cent over the past year, and 240 per cent over five years. As always, past performance is no guide to the future.
if you go
The flights
Air Astana flies direct from Dubai to Almaty from Dh2,440 per person return, and to Astana (via Almaty) from Dh2,930 return, both including taxes.
The hotels
Rooms at the Ritz-Carlton Almaty cost from Dh1,944 per night including taxes; and in Astana the new Ritz-Carlton Astana (www.marriott) costs from Dh1,325; alternatively, the new St Regis Astana costs from Dh1,458 per night including taxes.
When to visit
March-May and September-November
Visas
Citizens of many countries, including the UAE do not need a visa to enter Kazakhstan for up to 30 days. Contact the nearest Kazakhstan embassy or consulate.
Director: Laxman Utekar
Cast: Vicky Kaushal, Akshaye Khanna, Diana Penty, Vineet Kumar Singh, Rashmika Mandanna
Rating: 1/5
MATCH INFO
Quarter-finals
Saturday (all times UAE)
England v Australia, 11.15am
New Zealand v Ireland, 2.15pm
Sunday
Wales v France, 11.15am
Japan v South Africa, 2.15pm
The biog
Name: Ayisha Abdulrahman Gareb
Age: 57
From: Kalba
Occupation: Mukrema, though she washes bodies without charge
Favourite things to do: Visiting patients at the hospital and give them the support they need.
Role model: Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak, Chairwoman of the General Women's Union, Supreme Chairwoman of the Family Development Foundation and President of the Supreme Council for Motherhood and Childhood.
The 12 Syrian entities delisted by UK
Ministry of Interior
Ministry of Defence
General Intelligence Directorate
Air Force Intelligence Agency
Political Security Directorate
Syrian National Security Bureau
Military Intelligence Directorate
Army Supply Bureau
General Organisation of Radio and TV
Al Watan newspaper
Cham Press TV
Sama TV
Tearful appearance
Chancellor Rachel Reeves set markets on edge as she appeared visibly distraught in parliament on Wednesday.
Legislative setbacks for the government have blown a new hole in the budgetary calculations at a time when the deficit is stubbornly large and the economy is struggling to grow.
She appeared with Keir Starmer on Thursday and the pair embraced, but he had failed to give her his backing as she cried a day earlier.
A spokesman said her upset demeanour was due to a personal matter.
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Volvo ES90 Specs
Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)
Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp
Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm
On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region
Price: Exact regional pricing TBA
