Loneliness is something that I have been grappling with lately, and I have noticed an up-tick in think-pieces about technologies effect on social relationships between people and a loss of community. The connections people have with others has been a perennial interest of humankind.

I’d love 10 hours, 100 minutes and 100 seconds in a day – scientists would love it. But could people cope with such a fundamental change to everyone’s (in the world!) lives?

2. Give me the fife.

I feel like environmental issues are so easily shut down as being unimportant, for “hippies” or are important but only as they don’t come at the expense of the economy. With so much evidence suggesting if we don’t do something, major disastrous circumstances will result. Are people living in denial? Do they believe this is just another unfounded, doomsday prophesy? And how will sustainable development ever occur if we can’t even get people on-board supporting this issue.

If that person has no love for themselves … Is it possible that they can truly love another? If a person has no respect for themselves … Is it possible for them to respect others ? Would this then suggest that a person won’t be truly happy in any situation unless they have achieved that elusive frame of mind of loving, understanding and trusting in one’s own processes?  Wouldn’t it also suggest that we should view the state of our relationship with ourselves and others as being reflective of each other? And finally wouldn’t that then indicate that unless we can love ourselves we can’t love others? … So is it  important for a ‘happy life’ to love and appreciate yourself?

Why not?

There are varying degrees of mental illness – some are profoundly affected where others are not. In the lesser cases, some of these people display signs of a difficult personality or difficult behaviour, but use the label of mental illness. How do we define which is which, and navigate the tricky terrain where their behaviour affects families, workplaces and relationships?

Because BeeGees asked it in 1977, and Calvin Harris is asking the same question in 2015.

Because it’s universal.

When I “bags” the last Tim Tam who/what is keeping track? When I “pinch and punch for the first of the month” and then declare “full locks, no return” who/what is watching on? When I go to the toilet during the third quarter who/what is making sure Richmond gets a goal? When I pray for world peace is anyone listening?

The underpinnings of our civilisation are based on an untenable premise.