Some more reading..

... On our Greatest Social Ill.

Here's a great piece suggesting that our desire for more, is at the front of our social decline, - that the most significant forms of social evil are individualism, consumerism and decline of community. I like the below quote

Firstly, governments need to stop paying lip service to the idea that wellbeing is defined by economic prosperity. Of course, successive waves of politicians make noises along these lines, but as soon as they realise the motivational power of money, they tend to revert to type. Yet we are now inundated with studies that have shown that the accumulation of either money or stuff simply doesn't deliver the sense of wellbeing for which we all long. Despite this, though, we continue with the mantra of economic growth to the almost complete exclusion of any other narrative. Justin Thacker, Beyond the pleasure principle

... on Social Efficacy

The other piece which I found intriguing is 'If at first you don't succeed - you're in excellent compnay, which reminded me:

• Julie Andrews, was initially seen as plain.
• J.K. Rowling's book about a boy wizard was rejected by 12 publishers before a small London house picked up "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone."
• Decca Records turned down a contract with the Beatles, saying "We don't like their sound."
• Walt Disney was fired by a newspaper editor who said he "lacked imagination."
• Michael Jordan was cut from his high-school varsity basketball team sophomore year.[there's more in the article]

The question posed is what makes some people rebound from defeats and go on to greatness while others throw in the towel?