The tech giants tell us that their gizmos and apps will make our lives easier, bring us together, broker a better world. Trouble is, everything they do is to maximize their profit and shareholder return. I’m not sure any of them are that interested in world peace and human flourishing.

I am, of course, speaking out of irritation at how complex it has been setting up my new blog so that it’s visible to the general public and those who are my friends on Facebook and follow me on Twitter (a vanishing small number if truth be told). After a couple of hours of trying to follow the guidance and resisting their blandishments to buy any number of add-ons that would be sure to make my life easier and more fulfilled, I think I might have done it.

Perhaps I should remember that nothing worthwhile ever arrives pain-free. Ho-hum!

I do wonder if all this is a distraction, however, from things that matter. Yesterday I was at South London Listens, an event facilitated by Citizens UK, where we heard stories of projects that were making a significant difference to the mental health of everyone, especially young people and their parents. But especially inspiring is a project aiming to get all frontline medical services accessible to everyone, including asylum seekers, so-called ‘safe surgeries’ where no one in medical need is turned away because they don’t have the right paperwork. It was great to hear the chairs of various health trusts signing up to make this happen.

The evening reminded me of what happens when people of good will from the faith communities and beyond come together with a common goal of making life better for everyone regardless of their social status or economic clout. And obviously this involves more than just creating a virtual community on Facebook or Instagram. People need to be able to see the whites of each other’s eyes, see the small gestures as they speak, the flicker of a smile, the rise and fall of shoulders in mid-conversation, the hand gestures that emphasize the importance of what’s being said. Connecting means being face-to-face. And yesterday evening we connected.

So blogging is fun – I hope you enjoy this, I hope it provokes thought and comment and conversation; it helps me to shape my thinking which might lead to me taking more effective action. But it only goes so far. It is only a supplement to physically engaging with one another. I hope we’ll be doing more than that this autumn and winter as we come together to face down the energy and cost-of-living pressures so many are facing and that collective action can and should go some way to alleviate.

And more immediately, I hope someone can read this…. Is there anyone out there? Talk to me…