ONCE it was normal for people to scrub the steps in front of their houses once a week.

They got two things for the price of one bit of effort.

By laying claim to their house fronts they were increasing their world but by sharing them they were improving the world as a whole.

Now, that practice is strangely laughed at.

As a consequence, everybody has a much smaller world and that is getting worse.

We are all more selfish.

We spend our lives seeking contentment or happiness.

Can that be found in success?

We want greater wealth, status, frequent and distant holidays and bigger cars.

That’s success, but that success is always a failure because it never quenches our thirst for more.

But look at those who regularly scrubbed their steps.

They always achieved their goals and in a tiny way the world was better for it.

Chris Pattison, Richmond.