2009 has been different, mostly because of the effects of the credit crunch, which led to a recession. Many of our core values were shaken as interest rates plummeted, banks were bailed out with tax payers' hard earned cash and yet large annual bonuses were still paid to people who appeared to have caused the mess, whilst others paid for it with their jobs.

Our society is far from fair or just, and, sadly, most people are so preoccupied with themselves that they don't care, as long as they are alright. Perhaps the row over MPs' expenses was just an indicator of what things are really like.

Of course, we live in an imperfect society and each of us is imperfect, but I can't help but think, in the typical and maybe familiar words of school reports (old fashioned ones at least), we could do better if we applied ourselves more to the task in hand.

Not many of us are in a position to exert huge influence on the nation, but most of us have some influence, even if it is only on those we meet as we go about our ordinary lives.

And that is the point, our lives are ordinary! We may have achieved significant wealth, academic accolades, high rank or whatever, but still, in common with everybody else, we are ordinary in that we are born, live mostly for ourselves and die.