Being human is hard, this pair of psychologists say. Could accepting we don’t have free will make it easier?

For Ross and Rachel Menzies, making peace with our smallness can help us navigate the challenges of human existence

Ross G Menzies is, by his own admission, “a very old man” by the standards of the human species. A century and a half ago the average life expectancy was in the 30s, “so how can I whinge if I develop something today and [get] told that I’ll be dead by Christmas?” he jokes.

“If I can see that I am just one of the 107 billion that have lived, and that I will go to dust like all those before me, it is easier to face the difficult times that we are in.” He pauses. “Diminishing the self is one of the most important things that we can do.”