The First Five Minutes
A big task is frightening for more than its size. It requires moving from a state where nothing is happening into a state of work. That transition is often more…
Alcohol and Other People’s Pressure
Holiday culture makes alcohol a sign of trust, adulthood and belonging to the group. So refusing a glass often has to be defended harder than the decision to drink. Which…
Risk Without Applause
A culture of bravery likes risk when it looks good; a culture of safety demands it be eliminated entirely. It is more sensible to distinguish risk taken for a result…
A person is not always more important than a book
Family morality is happy to declare any live conversation more important than any book, music, work or solitude. A person close to you may well be irreplaceable, but that does…
Friendship of Different Depths
The culture of friendship likes one lofty word for very different relationships, and then demands from every acquaintance complete loyalty, closeness and readiness to come to the rescue. Not every…
Hardness and Toughness: Why One HRC Number Isn’t Enough
Whoever sells you a kitchen knife will almost always quote one number. Fifty-eight HRC, sixty-one, sixty-five. The number is neat, the buyer cannot check it, and it leaves the full…