Let It Snow

by Beth Moran

‘Why focus on the one small thing that’s not perfect, when the rest is so good?’

I could spend every day of my life slaving away, trying to find information that might help us come up with a theory about a tiny fragment of time at the start of the universe, and for what? What difference will it make to anyone’s actual life now? So, I decided to start doing something that might help someone.

But I wanted to talk about one thing that never changes. People. And how people love to connect with other people. We are built for community. The only way to tackle this momentous challenge is together. Whether we find that community when chatting to our neighbours over the garden wall, or via a Twitter hashtag, we all need it.

‘So, I’m not a futurist, I can’t tell you with any certainty how we will be connecting in ten years’ time, but I can tell you that we will be connecting, because that’s what people do.

‘I’d say that if your family taught me anything, it’s the value of authenticity. Being true to yourself and what you believe to be important in the small things as well as the big ones.’

Talking with someone who was genuinely interested in why I might disagree with him, who listened with a gentle furrow of intent concentration, rather than interrupting to explain why I was wrong, was a refreshing change.

‘I think when life gets turned upside down, all you can do is take it one step at a time.

I’m saying that sometimes it’s worth taking a huge risk for something that means so much to you, even if other people might consider it to be foolish and irresponsible.’