Book excerpt: It’s not just the people in the news that do bad and stupid things. Media headlines would have us believe that bad people do bad things and stupid people do stupid things. But we have all suffered headaches that we did not intend to create and we have all suffered from headaches that others created for us. What if bad and stupid things happen just because normal people do what normal people do? Could there be influences in situations that contribute to people doing bad or stupid things? Headlines and headaches often happen without malice and regardless of knowledge or skills. They happen when normal people use normal human processes to deal with their situations. The processes we use have helped us evolve and survive for thousands of years but the less we understand them, the more they seem to let us down in modern day situations. If we understand how bad and stupid things happen, could we avoid doing bad and stupid things? Could we even prevent bad and stupid situations and make them less painful and more valuable? Using everyday language and real world examples, Steve Whiddett takes us behind some very public headlines and some very real everyday headaches. Headlines, Headaches and the Human Conditionprovides insights into situations and the human condition, which will help you change your own situations. It is a book that we can all use to make situations more manageable and more productive for ourselves, for organisations and for society.