Mood

Why Good Parents Have Naughty Children

Imagine two very different kinds of families, each around their own dinner table on a typical evening.   In Family One: the child is very well behaved: they say how nice…

Self-Knowledge

The Dangers of the Good Child

They do their homework on time; their writing is neat; they keep their bedroom tidy; they are often a little shy; they want to help their parents; they use their brakes…

What Is the Point of Museums?

The prestige of museums has never been higher. Every city that wishes to be on the map knows it must build one. No foreign trip feels complete without taking up the…

Pleasures of Work

Why Creativity is Too Important to Be Left to Artists

‘Creativity’ is one of the most prestigious ideas of modern times and as a result, we often want to feel creative while lamenting that our lives don’t give us sufficient opportunities…

Sorrows of Work

The Sorrows of Colleagues

One of the most frightening aspects of working life is that we will, unless we are the beneficiaries of extreme good fortune, be required to have colleagues. The colleague is a…

Sorrows of Work

"Giving Customers What They Want"

Many new and potentially very worthwhile ideas for products and services are routinely cast aside by companies with the objection: we must give customers what they want. Which really means: what…