Some Sunday sermons

To thine own self be true
Originally uploaded by SgtRock333

So then, bleary eyed after one too many bottles on Saturday night, to Conway Hall, to hear the latest in The School of Life's Sunday Sermons, this time delivered by Charles Leadbeater.

Truth be told, his sermon - more a provocation - was mis-sold. 'On Perspective' the ticket said, but actually it was about aging, and designing systems to make good deaths more common and old age more productive and enjoyable. That he managed to discuss this without any reference to inter-generational wealth transfers was remarkable. (On that particular subject, you'll probably be wanting to read this.)

Still, there were some good lines, jokes and ideas worth recording:

- That to have an fulfilling working life you need to do something interesting, always be learning, and making new relationships so you can learn

- That, at current rates, every decade you life means an extra two years on your lifespan

- by 2070, there'll be over 1m people in the UK over 100 years old

- That we have doubled human lifespan in the space of 200 years

- Half of us will get some sort of dementia

- That after the post WWII economic eras of 'I need' and 'I want', we're now in the age of 'I can'

- Most objects matter only because they are an emblem of a relationship

Tell the credit card company that one next time you phone to query your bill.