Have you noticed how quickly "everything else" has slipped from the headlines while we in the west concentrate on our economic woes and increasingly desperate schemes to try to prevent a recession becoming a depression? One of the great boons of contemporary communication technology is that we can know about almost anything as soon as it occurs. None of us can claim to be ignorant of what is happening, for example, in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Darfur, Zimbabwe or wherever. Often, however, we are genuinely ignorant of all the good that is being done nearer home, of those "little, nameless unremembered acts of kindness and of love" which are so important for the happiness and wellbeing of society. This is going to be a busy week when we may need to make a conscious effort to mark how many good things come our way and give thanks for them. But grateful people are so much nicer to know than grumblers and carpers that it must be worth the effort. St Benedict certainly thought so.