Category: Opinions

“It’s what you fail to imagine that kills you.”  Michael Lewis, The Fifth Risk In one of Eddie Izzard’s classic sketches, he satirizes the Church of England in medieval times for being too nice. Instead of torturing unbelievers, the inquisitor offers a choice: Cake or Death. Not surprisingly they choose cake. Why would you choose … Continue reading Sustainability or Death

Whenever there are surveys of human happiness and social well-being, or we look for examples of how to deal successfully with social issues, how best to educate our children,  look after our elderly, address mental health and child poverty – almost inevitably we find ourselves being told about what the Scandinavian countries are doing. Why … Continue reading Why we should look to Scandinavia for the future of humanity.

One of the toughest things to deal with after you stop full-time work is how you define yourself and how you describe yourself to people you meet. Previously, your profession or occupation worked as a kind of passport that helped you across the “borders” of human interaction, particularly with new people. Rightly or wrongly, people … Continue reading Who am I? Life and Self after work

I have been reflecting on my life so far and how I would have liked to have developed a closer, more mature relationship with my parents and to have found out more about them and the stories of their lives, about which I sadly know all too little. This is an experience common to many … Continue reading Life’s trajectory

Postmodernists took on the orthodoxy of European enlightenment, science and reason using philosophy to deconstruct the assumptions that underpinned the ethos of the western world and to challenge the elites who they saw as exploiting ordinary men and women. It was a radical challenge to 20th century thinking and society. But I wonder if those … Continue reading How postmodernism helped Brexit, Donald Trump and the rise of the extreme right

As Donald Trump’s presidency spirals out of control in a deepening gyre of surrealism and absurdity, it brings to mind one of the great comic characters of all time - Rufus T. Firefly, the leader of Freedonia in the classic Marx Brothers movie, Duck Soup. Interestingly, Duck Soup – a satire on nationalism and warmongering … Continue reading Donald’s Duck Soup

Various writers’ ponderings on the wave of global anger and the demise of liberal rationalism may have missed the common cause: tribalism, prompting the following observations. We are not fundamentally rational animals; therefore, there’s no point looking for purely rational explanations of why there is so much anger and resentment. Yes, there are identifiable sources … Continue reading Homo sentiens

As well as to ‘cease working’,  ‘retire’ also means to withdraw from a race, a room or company, with all the connotations that has for pulling back from action, people and engagement. “Redeployment and reinvestment” would be a better description of what we need to do. If we take 65 as the current age at … Continue reading Why you shouldn’t retire

One of the things that struck us on our retirement trip was the value of values. Values are what you share with your loved ones and friends, what bind you together in your views and attitudes, in your sense of humour and in who you trust. Values are fundamental to who we are and how … Continue reading The value of values