This year could come to be regarded as a turning point in history

This momentous year could mark one of those rare moments when the old world order is swept away and something new, and hopefully better, emerges, says Graham Lawton

By Graham Lawton

THROUGHOUT this strange, scary but wierdly exhilarating year, an old saying has often popped into my head: “May you live in interesting times.” This supposedly ancient Chinese curse – though no such expression actually exists in the Chinese language – is meant ironically. Perhaps it is derived from an actual Chinese saying: “Better to be a dog in times of tranquillity than a human in times of chaos.”

It has been chaos, but fascinating all the same, and I don’t yearn for tranquillity just yet. I have no desire to see yet more sacrifices made and losses endured, but we …