This is how it ends

When sales of magazines started to spiral and the industry was in blithe denial, I will never forget an ACP executive muttering “Rome is burning and everyone is off getting spray tans”.

Last night felt a bit like that. I laughed and drank sparkling wine with friends while the US election results unfolded.

My Newie mates Darren and Kirsten are staying at an Air BnB in The Rocks that boasts the most sensational view of Sydney Harbour.

It’s just around the corner from my office and it was awesome to wander over to see them.

I love the back streets of The Rocks with their historic buildings, character-filled pubs and proximity to the harbour.

We watched a Disney cruise ship depart White Bay at sunset as we ate crackers and dip on their borrowed verandah.

We expressed our horror at what was happening in the US, but it seemed so unreal.

How do you comprehend the incomprehensible?

Actually, I wasn’t that shocked by the election result. I sensed it was coming. I just wished I was wrong.

But I fear for the future.

This is the way the world ends
This is the way the world ends
This is the way the world ends
Not with a bang but a whimper.

The Hollow Men – T. S. Eliot