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Good morning. Yesterday, the new chancellor, Rishi Sunak, presented his first budget to encompass many diverse purposes: calming the markets, protecting health and incomes in the face of the Coronavirus, investment in infrastructure and more cash for public services. But because of the extraordinary circumstances we currently face on a global level, I believe that it’s important that each decision, each announcement a government makes has a moral component. The Hindu text, Mahabharat says: “Responsible government should adopt measures at any cost to itself to inspire all of its subjects with a valid sense of security.” There’s a story generally ascribed to Aesop but with older more widespread provenance. It involves a father and son walking their donkey on a lead to market. Passers-by mock them for having a donkey, but not being smart enough to ride it. So, the son gets on the donkey. Then someone chides the son for riding whilst his elderly father has to walk. So, father and son change places. But another person complains that the father is abusing his privilege by having the donkey for himself. So, father and son decide that both should ride the donkey. Straightaway, they are charged with ill-treatment of the poor donkey. This fable is often used to illustrate that people may criticise us whatever we do. But, it also highlights the complexity of under- or over-using limited resources – in this case, a single donkey – and allocating the benefit to even more than one person. There’s no elegant solution to the conundrum: maybe assess the donkey’s capability and father and son take turns suitable to their individual needs. And, reassess as they go along. Messy, provisional, a compromise, perhaps? The Mahabharat explains that any decision or plan should be made according to time, place and circumstances. But, it gives the example that climbing a mountain for the first time will not be successful on the basis of the plan devised at the bottom of the mountain, but by all the new decisions made at every step during the ascent. My dear friend, Sruti Dharma, a wonderful spiritual teacher passed away on Tuesday from cancer. Once when addressing a group of political and religious leaders, he offered this advice: “Beyond our diversity of background and interests, we are trying to fulfil the highest human aspirations to love God and to serve others. Let us realise that our differences are valuable ornaments; and let our shared culture be admiration for one another.” Perhaps, in times of extraordinary uncertainty, we require a higher degree of admiration and cooperation amongst us all – whatever the issues we are trying to balance.