As I am writing this, this Friday, I am conscious of the fact that on the build-up to Valentine’s Day I am writing about emotions and sentiments which are difficult to handle and sometimes hard to control. Lee McQueen’s death in London, where he took his own life, raises questions however which are pertinent to all of us and, I hope, Valentine’s Day also. 

As last year ended and this one began I made the usual resolutions most people make. I wanted to be fitter, work less if I could and spend more time with the people I love. I also old myself that I would spend more time doing things I want to rather than things I have to do. Great, right? Except that all of this is a little self-centered and none of it is really world-shaking. No problem, of course, as new year resolutions are not designed to change the world and are, by definition, self-centered.