Lonely? Bored? Anxious? Passive? Call Now.

To be a modern person is to be lonely, bored, anxious and passive.

That is, according to the German psychologist-philosopher Erich Fromm. 

This is the great mind who reinterpreted the story of Adam and Eve to be a virtuous one. He pointed out that being able to distinguish between good and evil is generally considered to be a good thing, but that biblical scholars usually speak about Adam and Eve in the same way that teachers speak about naughty children. Fromm praised Adam and Eve for actually having a go and not just doing what they were told. He reckoned this is what made them truly human: weighing up the situation and then taking action. 

And Fromm said that the most profound characteristics of modern people - of you and me - are loneliness, boredom, anxiety and passivity.

That last one is the word that sticks with me. I'm such a sit-and-watch-the-wheels kinda cat.

And anything beyond this point would amount to a sermon or a lecture from me, some pseudo-authority handing out fruit-eating guidelines. 

You work it out. I will too. Let's compare notes in a week. Or not. It's up to you.