London, like every city in the world, has a history. And like any history, it is a roller coaster of tragedy and euphoria, where events that take place change the fabric of the city temporarily for good and for bad.

I have experienced a couple of these momentous occasions as a Londoner myself. The highs of the Olympic Games coming to town in 2012, and the terrible lows of the 7th July 2005 terrorist bombings. My father before me lived through the Second World War in London. As I write this, my kids are off school due to coronavirus. Imagine my dad’s surprise when, as a young boy, he turned up to his school to find that a German bomb had destroyed it.

Go back a few hundred years to 1666 and the whole city burnt to the ground in the Great Fire of London, only to rise like a phoenix from the literal ashes to be rebuilt by Christopher Wren and others in a version that lives on to this day, despite the Luftwaffe’s best efforts to destroy it again in 1940-1942.

London has a sadly deserved reputation as a fairly unsociable place, most of the time. Glum faces on commuter trains, crime, anonymity… if you are a pessimist, you have plenty to go on. But when you get these drastic changes to the fabric of the city’s existence – good or bad – there’s a quite different spirit that lurks under this rather shameful surface waiting to come out.

The city can be a completely different animal, when the chips are down or when amazing things are happening. Communities come together, people talk, support each other and fight back. The stoic stiff upper lip is thrust out, and we stand, arms crossed and shoulder to shoulder, to stick two fingers up at whoever or whatever comes knocking, trying to put us down. We laugh, sometimes uproariously, in the face of danger and tragedy – what else can you do, sometimes? We commiserate, put an arm round those in need and do that thing that only the British can do – make a cup of tea and keep buggering on.

I know this London is there, because I have seen it and experienced it for myself. But I have sadly also seen how quickly it can disappear, leaving us with the less desirable, unfriendly and divided London. I was in London on the last day of the 2012 Olympic Games, which was one of the most wonderful experiences of my 18 years as a resident. We came together like never before to support our athletes and be proud of the amazing event that we as a nation had put on for the world. I remember being in a pub and talking excitedly to total strangers about how many medals Team GB had won and wasn’t it just the most amazing thing?

I was still in London the next morning, a Monday, when everyone went back to work and it was like a switch had been flicked, and the ‘old’ London was back. OK, so there was a collective hangover of epic proportion, but it was such a shame that all of that incredible atmosphere could disappear so quickly.

And now, London, like the whole world, is under threat yet again. This time, from coronavirus. I live in Dubai now, but my thoughts naturally turn to my home country and in particular to London. I know that the incredible spirit exists and the ability to face up to and overcome adversity is still there. You cannot suppress the experience of centuries of defiance that lives in the shared history of London.

I am proud to call myself a Londoner (for you are always one, even if you leave) because I know what will be happening. People will be getting on as best they can. Neighbours will be talking to neighbours for the first time. Communities will be coming together to support those in need. More cups of tea will be made, and Londoners will be helping each other out, even if it is just to share a joke to lighten the mood.

We don’t know yet how long Coronavirus will last and how long this existence will go on for. What I hope is that the experience leaves London with something a little different. When it is over, for it will pass, I sincerely hope that London and the world for that matter don’t go back to the old ways. There will always be threats, and we’ll always have this reserve of spirit to call upon in dark times, but I really want London to buck the trend and continue being the incredible, heartwarming, supportive and defiant place it can be, and not just when threatened.

Please, London – and everywhere else – don’t throw away the openness, empathy, support, community and love you have for your fellow man that is coming out in these crazy, coronavirus affected weeks and months. Yes, there’s been a ridiculous hoarding of toilet paper but if we focus on the positives, and make a conscious effort to think about all the incredible things that humanity is potently capable of, then London, and all of us, can do our bit to make the world a better place.