THE LAST DAY OF CIVILISATION?

So some say. As President Business stands there tomorrow with one hand in the air, taking the Oath of Office, a lot of people will be seriously hoping his other hand isn't hovering over the nuclear button. I'm no fan of his, but that is ridiculous.

But of course, you don't have to be President Business to bring about the end of one era and kick off the next. You could be me for example, explaining to the choir you've run for five years, why you're closing it. I sat there, around the table, hearing myself repeat what I wrote in the letter, although a lot less eloquently.

I was amazed by the response.

"It's the right time," said Gary, kindly, putting an arm round my shoulder.

"Well done, Matt, you've got to look after yourself," said Theresa and Maureen, encouragingly afterwards. Even Robert, who I thought would be quite disappointed, was far more concerned about me, than he was about it.

Shirley and Wai Kwong had brought me a lovely little gift - an ornate, Korean mother-of-pearl box with a pad of exquisite Chinese art inside it! I was deeply moved by that. And every single one of them gave me a hug to say thank you. I don't know why I was so surprised; it is obvious when I think about it: this is the choir we all built together. It could only ever have been about love expressed through community.

I climbed into the car and shut the door. Silence fell. I cried a little bit. Love expressed through community. If civilisation is anything, it's surely that - the point where we pour out so much love between us that all we can do is be together, all we can think of is how to bring the best out of each other and all we know is (to quote the Beatles) love, love, love.

What a hippie, said a hidden part of my brain. Well, maybe they were on to something, the hippies of the Sixties, I don't know. Sometimes there are glimmers of Heaven in history and it would be easy to miss them. I do know though, that whatever President Business decides to do once he's painted the White House gold, it won't be the end of civilisation.

It won't, because there are people like us left. People like my friends in Calcot Choir who somehow discovered a voice when no-one believed they could sing. People like Betty, who muddled through in her twilight years and beyond her failing memory; people like Robert who make community their own and invite everyone they know to be part of it; people like Simon and Jan and Philippa who give their everything to it, even when they know we don't always sound that great. These are the people who show love through community! And that's all it's ever been about. That is civilisation. People like you. People like me. And yes, even President Business if he wants to be.

Let's show the world how it's done.