The golden rule states that we should treat others as we ourselves want to be treated. On the surface this seems to be a perfectly reasonable way to be in the world. In fact, it might the only way eight billion people could live together on this planet. But there are problems with the golden…
Month: January 2024
Living with Isaac Newton must’ve been hard
There’s a story about Isaac Newton. I don’t know if it’s true and I have no inclination to find out if it is or not because I like the story. Newton had invited guests for dinner. His housekeeper came to his study and suggested he might want to go upstairs to dress dinner before his…
What we measure
“Have you done your homework?” When it came to my homework nothing else mattered to my parents. They didn’t ask how well I had done it or what I had learnt. ‘Done’ was what we measured when it came to homework in my house growing up. We’ve all heard a variation of the phrases, what…
Leading a small life
My sister leads a small life. She owned a toyshop in a small coastal village. A couple of years ago she moved to one of my favourite cities in the world and she’s working out what she wants next out of life, and she’s taking her time. My sister doesn’t make a lot of money,…