Francis and I looked at some internet lectures and found a fascinating one about cosmic evolution. It all comes down to the ultra-early Universe. The conditions have to be right and it’s the quantum errors in the very early explosion of the big bang which eventually give rise to a non-uniform Universe in which life can proliferate. Get the foundations right and everything else will take care of itself.
In Francis’s presence I do sometimes feel like a child trying to please the parent. Also, the way he seems so capable of dealing very well with both his professional and personal life tends to add credence to my feelings of inferiority in certain areas. More comparisons! Stop it.