The sun is just setting on Christmas eve of an amazing year. Not necessarily a good year, but certainly amazing in so many ways. I wonder, and fear, what is coming next year – but today I am feeling some hope that this year will mark a turning point in humanity, a turning point where we begin to understand that we are not invincible, the world does not have infinite resources and we all need to hold hands and work together. This year I think all of us have made projections and assessments about the near future, only to find that we knew very little and the near future just comes – we can wish it not to be so, wish it would go away, wish what we want – but it still comes. Better to do what we can to help, do what we can to stay flexible, and do what we can to understand that we are all one family, and the earth is one living organism (sometimes referred to as Gaia). I am not so silly as to think that the world is literally only one organism, but it certainly is connected and has interactions that are so intertwined that it might as well be. It is all far more complex, and interdependent than we will ever be able to know. My opinion is we need to do what we can to maintain a gentle footprint, and try to not overdo any of the things that we do – moderation is definitely the order of the day.

So, I have hope that this coming year will be better in many important ways. Hopefully the pandemic will get tamped down so we can all see our friends and family again without fear and worry that we are putting each other at risk. Hopefully the government will do a slightly better job of helping the people that depend upon it in so many ways. Hopefully we will be a bit better at helping those that need help, or at least not harming those that are vulnerable. Maybe not so much offering help as to not smacking their fingers every time they start to get a handle on getting themselves into a better place.

Ho ho ho – may Christmas be loving, fun, fulfilling and safe. My biggest wish is that those of you who chose to gather with loved ones and friends don’t end up wishing you had made a different choice. May you all get what you need, and avoid what you don’t want. My suggestion is that if you are going to expose yourself and your loved ones to potentially great risks, do you very best to enjoy your time together. At least make it worthwhile.

With my love for the world, Merry Christmas