Exercises, reflections, and closing ceremony for the last day - and beyond...

Well done! You’ve almost completed the urban retreat.  On this last day there’s an opportunity for you to review how it went, what we learnt, and what you’d like to carry through into the future.

Hopefully you’ve discovered that although you can’t avoid the worldly winds, you can learn from them, and see them as opportunities rather than obstacles. As William Blake wrote:

Man was made for Joy & Woe;
And when this we rightly know
Thro’...

Thought for the Day

This is my broadcast on BBC radio 4 from this morning. Listen here

As unemployment rises and living standards fall, pre-2008 abundance seems like a vanished epoch. Most of us yearn to see the GDP figures ticking upwards again, bringing back the lost jobs and services.  But not long ago, when the economy was steaming ahead, many of us were asking if continuing economic growth was really desirable or sustainable. We saw people working longer and longer hours at...