Are you selfish?
Seeing others act selflessly makes us feel guilty about our own failures to be as virtuous. It’s far easier to dismiss the apparent selflessness of others than it is to challenge our own very real selfishness.
ReadAuthor: Julian Baggini
Why all writers are vain
Vanity may be unavoidable but it does not mean we must allow it to be our master. By recognising our vanity, we can try to keep it as much at bay as possible and so keep pride in check. If we cannot see the vanity in what we’re doing or deny there is any, we are more likely to fall under its spell. The ultimate vanity is to believe you have none.
ReadWhy are foodies turning their backs on Fairtrade?
Workshop is one of a number of high-end food companies that says it is committed to fair trade, but doesn’t have the certificate to prove it. With the Fairtrade logo now appearing even on mainstream brands such as Starbucks coffees and four-finger Kit Kats, this absence is becoming more and more conspicuous, especially during Fairtrade fortnight, which starts this week. But for a variety of reasons, many speciality providers, which invariably boast about their impeccable sourcing policies, are choosing not to sign up to the Fairtrade labelling scheme.
ReadAre you in the spotlight?
If a lighthouse could think, it might marvel at how all the light in the world focused its beam on it. For us humans, it often feels the same. Since we can only see what is in our field of vision, hear what is in earshot and touch what is within reach, it is natural to feel that we are more at the centre of things than we objectively are. Whether you are in the spotlight or you are the spotlight, everything centres on you.
ReadThe Age of Entitlement
Every child has a right to a decent education. But does that mean every child has the right to educational success? That might sound absurd, but many teachers are concerned that this is, in effect, precisely what the current cohort of schoolchildren thinks.
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