Well, we seem to have moved on from mindfulness to kindness and what better move could there be? Nothing is new, all these thoughtful fashions we go through are most often based on teachings from thousands of years ago, including the Buddhist philosophy.

This for instance - loving kindness - part of a Buddhist discourse, Metta Sutta: “Let none deceive another nor despise any person whatever in any place; in anger or ill will let them not wish any suffering to each other.

“Just as a mother would protect her only child at the risk of her own life, even so, let him cultivate a boundless heart towards all beings. Let her thoughts of boundless loving kindness pervade the whole world: above, below and across, without obstruction, without any hatred, without any enmity.”

If only we could live up to this... I also think the Just For Today programme is a very special challenge to everyday life - it was always in our house when I was growing up and was never far from my father as it helped him through his struggle with alcoholism.

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