Dara has just turned 50, and in this episode he lets his mind hover over the moment in an attempted stocktake. Even as he argues for gratitude, he acknowledges how challenging the world is right now. This leads him to consider whether enough weight is attached to softer impulses and emotions. In these times of fracture and isolation and estrangement, should we attach greater significance and worthiness to love and positivity and connection?
Reflecting on his life to date, Dara talks about the importance he places on honour. But does trying to live an honourable life mean anything? Is it just a self-administered high-brow ego-boost?
Taking a photo at the weekend of an iconic figurine triggered something in Dara that returns him to his childhood. Perhaps he has been trying to emulate something that he first tapped into as a little boy…