Facing the dark nights of winter with A Lust for Life Times are pretty hard, aren’t they? The future seems uncertain. Is Covid going away any time soon or will we have another wave? Will supermarket shelves become increasingly empty? And, if you are one of the unfortunate people facing less income while energy prices
Are you struggling with the impact of so much depressing news? So many people worldwide are thinking along similar lines …! I’m certainly hard-pressed to recall a time when the news has been so depressing. We have a pandemic and conflict worldwide but, top position in my worry list, goes to climate change, or global
Will the shift from Globalisation to Localisation help resolve societal problems? If there is one thing on which most of us agree it is that the world seems to be in pretty big trouble just now. Covid still hangs over us, climate change is a very big threat and in the background wars and
What is the true nature of man? What is the true nature of Man? This is a question that has long preoccupied thinkers and it centres around two central ideas: Man is naturally selfish and competitive or Man is naturally altruistic and cooperative. In today’s world with wars and crime hitting the headlines daily we
Over-binging on bad news is the equivalent of ‘junk food’ for the mind. For the past few months, my preoccupation with good news has been spurred on by working through Fiona Brennan’s excellent online programme ‘The Positive Habit.’ I now have to report that I’ve become even more of a ‘good news’ junkie because the
Is life beginning to get you down? Fear not, read on… I need to let you into a secret: some weeks ago, I decided that living through the pandemic, not being able to see many of my loved ones and hearing news which seems to get worse by the day was seriously damaging my mental
Developing positive habits to support our mental health is more important than ever In July and September last year I wrote about my need to feel optimistic in these difficult times and I make no apology for returning to the very same subject again because as we move through the early months of 2021 things
Harnessing the power of volunteering to bring about change As a representative of Castle Point Climate Action group I recently took part in the on-line annual general meeting of the Castle Point Association of Voluntary Services and I was reminded, if I needed reminding, that a great deal of fantastic work is going on at
The Queen’s Christmas broadcast highlighted local communities supporting each other I thought the Queen’s Christmas broadcast last year was pitched perfectly. I found it really uplifting. It almost brought a tear to my eye! Why? Because it spelt out just how the pandemic has brought local communities together: how the people in those local communities are
Is a different Christmas story emerging? Perhaps one that may also have lasting positive impacts? We all know the story of Christmas this year will be very different – no big family gatherings, no office parties and no popping into the neighbours for mulled wine and a mince pie! Yes, we’ll all be missing out