Comment: It could be a wonderful life

Christmas came a little early to the optical industry last week as it settled down first for its AGM and then a very festive lunch.

So far the run into Christmas this year hasn't felt very festive. With all the recent talk of credit crunches, bank runs and tough times it is all too reminiscent of It's a Wonderful Life. And Andrew Actman could be seen as a modern day George Bailey in his plea to the profession and the industry (see news).

While Actman isn't balancing on a parapet ready to end it all, his call for cooperation and self-help would have struck a chord with the hard-pressed inhabitants of Potterville. The power of Capra's 1946 classic is more than to count your blessings, it is also to recognise the outcome of your own individual actions. If we help each other we will all benefit - often without noticing it.