Crisis can bring us together, if we let it remind us what really matters.

In March 2020, as the pandemic took hold across the world, beloved children’s author Michael Rosen became seriously ill with coronavirus. During several months in hospital, he observed first-hand the many different kinds of love that bind us to one another, and recorded his path to recovery under the remarkable care of loved ones and strangers.

In his new book, Many Different Kinds of Love, he shares the story of his journey to the brink and the people who brought him back. He reflects on the power of compassion and community, and the institution that embodies both: the NHS. He considers how illness and recovery change us, and how we can move forward from a period of shared grief and loss. How can a renewed awareness of our own vulnerability and deep interdependence help shape a society built on care?

Michael Rosen speaks with the BBC’s Sophie Raworth about his experiences of a year that has changed everything, and shares the lessons we can all learn about what really matters in the end.

The RSA has been at the forefront of societal change for over 250 years –  our proven approach to change, and global network of 30,000 problem-solvers enables us to unite people and ideas to understand the challenges of our time and realise lasting change.

Make change happen. Visit thersa.org.uk/approach to get involved.

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This conversation was broadcast online on the 18th March 2021.