Giving careful consideration to the major issues we face - in government, business, the economy, communities, families and society as a whole - can either motivate us to greater levels of achievement or leave us feeling perplexed…

Social commentary can help us to process individual issues by locating them within a wider narrative. It can also, on occasion, make complex issues seem more manageable and less confusing, by reducing them to their constituent parts. At its best, social commentary allows us, individually and collectively, to reflect upon and recalibrate aspects of our worldview.

The essays and articles featured in this anthology cover a wide range of subjects and issues, among them: technology, social networking, robotics, assisted dying, youth violence and gangs, the marriage debate, middle-age crises, suicide, ageism and many more… As you read these pieces, you will doubtless disagree with my analysis from time to time. If so, I hope that you do so passionately and with conviction (while keeping an open mind)...