New Year's Eve Thoughts

 

   Well, this is it. We are now less than 24 hours away from a brand new year. Many people are very excited about this. It almost seems as if people think that at the stroke of midnight, everything is going to be good and troubles will go away.

   Although I know it doesn't work that way, I'm still excited. This is my favourite holiday as many of you who have read this column know. The reason is that the beginning of a new year always feels like a clean slate to me. It's a chance to start again and to learn from the past year and to do better. I love the idea of putting the old year behind me and moving ahead into whatever is out there.

   When you hear people talk about 2020, most of what you hear about is what a bad year it was. How difficult is was. All the people we lost. All the damage that has been done. All the troubles that just don't seem to have an end.

   To me it wasn't that bad. Yes, there were things we couldn't do and fear and anxiety, but there were things we could do and did do. There were memories we made. Things we learned and places we've seen. I know the fact that I can say is means that I'm blessed or lucky. I've kept my job, my house and no one that I know got sick or died in the pandemic. No one I know was killed or injured or had their property damaged in the rioting over the summer.

   I have written many times about how uncivil our culture is, I've bemoaned the fact that we just can't seem to be nice to each other. Just when I think I've seen the worst that humans can do to each other the bar hits a new low. I can understand the violence. There is a point when you've been pushed too far for too long and lashing out is the only thing you can do because that is what gets the attention. The problem is that no one's mind is ever really changed by violence. None of the great leaders that we revere affected change through the use of violence. That's because making things better requires people to work together.

   I'll say it again. Making things better requires people to work together. Whenever there is something to be done in this country it is always done by a group. It's the Founding Fathers not the Founding Father. Groups of people worked for women's right to vote, for civil rights and other causes. When disaster strikes groups of people come together to help clean up, rebuild and care for the wounded. Not one person, many people working together.

   This year is the time to show compassion. It's been rough for some and even rougher for others. Once we are able to gather again let's be kind to each other. Let's realize that we are all fellow humans, fellow children of God (if you are a believer in God) and all sharing this planet. Let's understand that we all want peace, safety, health and opportunity for everyone. We are on the same team. We can make things better, we can do better than we have done, but we need to do it together. We have to do this together.

   That's the only way we can get it done.

Happy New Year!