We've all heard the (apocryphal) Chinese curse 'May he live in interesting times.'

The world's never the same after a pandemic. After the black death killed half the population of Europe, peasants learned new skills to allow them to replace deceased workers and escaped serfdom forever. The 1918 "Spanish 'Flu" led to the creation of the WHO - a worldwide coordinated approach to improving health. 

As a former lecturer, I say this with a degree of sheepishness but I hate being lectured to! I want my learning to be individual and fill me with curiosity. It should allow me to explore, collaborate, discuss.