Interesting year, that 2008, full of hope that things in our political capitals will change (unless you're in Illinois, where you still have Blago to think about).
But we are also poised at the brink of a very difficult time, one which shows no signs of abating. We are compounding some of our recent great experiments with even more of the same, and the more consensus there is, the more I worry that no one really knows what they're saying, but that we are lapsing into the usual groupthink that has been such a hallmark of life these past years. I see us falling into a kind of covert protectionism that is, apparently, perfectly acceptable to all those same people who've been telling us that national interest must be subsumed to that of world efficiency, and I marvel at the inconsistency.
However, I then look at my lovely wife, who means the world to me, and I have a brother who's a great guy (neither of us, perhaps, is always good at keeping in touch when life is so full of the immediate, but ours is a relationship rooted in bedrock), and I got a call from a treasured old friend this holiday (and hope that we can establish something more consistent and sustaining), and there are people I've met through this blog who have become important in a virtual way, and I'm not in imminent danger of losing my home or going hungry, which means I have it better than a lot of people.
So the important elements of my life are there even if the big-screen TV isn't, so I am lucky. And I hope that all reading these words are as well, or will be, that you're well-fixed to deal with whatever comes your way, and with that, I wish you and yours a Happy New Year!
But we are also poised at the brink of a very difficult time, one which shows no signs of abating. We are compounding some of our recent great experiments with even more of the same, and the more consensus there is, the more I worry that no one really knows what they're saying, but that we are lapsing into the usual groupthink that has been such a hallmark of life these past years. I see us falling into a kind of covert protectionism that is, apparently, perfectly acceptable to all those same people who've been telling us that national interest must be subsumed to that of world efficiency, and I marvel at the inconsistency.
However, I then look at my lovely wife, who means the world to me, and I have a brother who's a great guy (neither of us, perhaps, is always good at keeping in touch when life is so full of the immediate, but ours is a relationship rooted in bedrock), and I got a call from a treasured old friend this holiday (and hope that we can establish something more consistent and sustaining), and there are people I've met through this blog who have become important in a virtual way, and I'm not in imminent danger of losing my home or going hungry, which means I have it better than a lot of people.
So the important elements of my life are there even if the big-screen TV isn't, so I am lucky. And I hope that all reading these words are as well, or will be, that you're well-fixed to deal with whatever comes your way, and with that, I wish you and yours a Happy New Year!
1 comment:
Best wishes to you and your loved ones for a wonderful New Year.
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