It's precisely this sort of petty bickering by cloth-eared cynics, over bite-sized points of technical interpretation at the expense of the main issue, which makes me feel as though life is barely worth living.

It seems to be the case that no matter where you turn, you will encounter people who disappoint you so profoundly that it makes you want to withdraw and just live on your own terms, and to give in to the idea that no matter how you try to help people, they will always find new ways of destroying themselves. Perhaps you could say that Lyn Bender's "retiring" from active work in suicide prevention is a case in point.

This is a pity, because while helping people one at a time could quite possibly make the world a better place, it also requires a lot of energy, not to mention belief in the feasibility of one's cause.

And what is the alternative? Sitting in our concreted, colourbonded courtyards swilling tea, performing mastery over an imprisoned cockatoo and congratulating oneself for being right