Prioritise happiness as a small act of rebellion

Sometimes tuning out the world is the only way to stay positive, writes Melanie Reid

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Reithian principles may be battered, but this year’s Reith lectures, by the historian and author Rutger Bregman, start on air next week. Entitled Moral Revolution, his lectures are a call to arms against what he calls the “current age of immorality”.

Bregman will challenge us to follow history's example and assemble small, committed groups, such as the suffragettes and abolitionist movements, to spark positive, transformative, moral change. I hope his ideas inspire, though the fate of some small, committed groups such as Extinction Rebellion and Palestine Action speak of harsher realities.

A more significant obstacle is that only a tiny minority of people feel inclined to stick their head above the parapet. Rather the opposite: we're cowering below it, wishing someone would give us a hug. Everyone I’ve asked - family, friends, colleagues - has confirmed they're turning inwards not outwards.