Keep right

... whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Philippians 4.8

"You couldn't make this up!" is a phrase one hears increasingly and applies well to the crisis gripping Spain, on account of the lip smacking, crotch grabbing antics of the head of its football association, Luis Rubiales. His mother's decision to lock herself in a church on hunger-strike is the most bizarre twist yet. Quite what she expects to achieve is unclear. Meanwhile the Russian government has executed another state-sponsored assassination with apparent impunity (though one wouldn't be surprised if the mercurial Yevgeny Prigozhin turned up again) and, in Britain, politicians are fleeing government like rats off a sinking ship.

Whatever happened to "building back better" or working together to keep global warming within "safe" limits? Mass media could play a crucial role in coordinating our efforts and monitoring progress. In unfortunate contrast and too often they feed our morbid fascination with outrage and scandal. Saint Paul's exhortation to Christians in Ephesus and everywhere to focus on what is "excellent and praiseworthy" is the opposite of encouraging decent people to put their heads in the sand and hope the nasty stuff goes away. Rather it is a clarion call to channel our interest and our energy into what matters and what will change society for the better.