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The Russian war on Ukraine woke us up to the fact that most of us are historically illiterate about most of the world, most of the time. Was Ukraine a creation of Lenin, as Mr Putin would have it? As one commentator put it, with an average audience you can easily string together a narrative, strew in some correct historical facts, leave out others just as correct and salient, and have everyone nodding at your profound expertise. My philosophical question is, what do we want to do with history? Can we use it as a force for the good and avoid the toxic uses?

During the economic crisis after 2007, the incidence of various mental health issues, such as depression, increased. So did the incidence of suicidal behaviour. The ongoing climate crisis also leads to various conditions that are being described as depression or anxiety. Suicidal behaviour, too. Burnout, once a niche occupational hazard in caring and communication-heavy professions, has been recently described to have become a generational characteristic (of the Millennials).