Hello, matey, just back from the pub?

A young man had strung a wire between the towers of Notre-Dame Cathedral and walked and juggled and danced on it for three hours, astounding the crowds of people below.

What a charming amusement for young people this is, Mr. Darcy! There is nothing like dancing after all. I consider it as one of the first refinements of polished society.

For all the dire warnings doomsdayers like to trumpet about imminent societal collapse, reality suggests that we’re pretty far from a precipice.