Choosing our problems with care.

There is a notion put forward by Mark Rowlands in his excellent book "The Philosopher and the Wolf"; that simians and humans are the only animals to manufacture weakness in others, rather than just exploit it.

It's a disturbing thought, and one I'm trying to find exceptions to, but can't so far.

It's led to a parallel observation. Listening to the news and social media, as well as advertising, that we seem to concentrate far more on marketing problems than we do solutions. There were a couple of them this morning, noticed at random. The first was around the effects of our apparently increased alcohol consumption on the return to work after lockdown, and the second a statement by a charity that unless the government replaced income lost during shutdown, the UK would not be the first to make the next major step forward in treating cancer.

Both statements may be true, but that's not the point - it's the intent. Both organisations were started with laudable intent, but seem to have lapsed in…