Well here we are. So it’s a big HAPPY NEW YEAR to you all. We at The AIMN extend to you our best wishes and also our thanks for the years you have shared with us.
As I reflect (which is something we all tend to do at this time of year) I can’t help but recall the words of many great people who have themselves reflected that they “wanted to leave the world a better place than when they entered it.” You may have even said it yourself. I know that I have.
But events in 2018 – both global and local – have shattered many hopes for a better world. We no longer have a lifetime at our disposal to make the world a better place. If 2018 taught us one thing: 2019 is the time to act.
I don’t wish to sour everyone’s mood on what should be a joyous day, besides, regular readers of The AIMN will attest that we’ve lamented the ills of the world in our daily writings, so I’ll leave them there. However, four issues demand our attention:
- The prospect of another arm’s race;
- The global refugee crisis;
- The growing inequality between rich and poor (encouraged by the policies of many Western governments); and
- Our dying planet (and the creatures who dwell upon it).
Left unchecked and without being held to account – our own government (and that of the USA) – will do nothing to address these serious issues. In 2019, more than ever … they must!
But my fear is that they won’t.
So we need to make sure they do. Telling them at the ballot box is never enough. We need to make ourselves heard not just on that one day every three years, but every day.
While we have a voice … we have hope. But unless we turn our voices into action … they’ll remain deaf to us. This is the year we’ll throw down the gauntlet.
Again, happy New Year to you all. This is our year. We’ll leave the world a better place in 2019 than was given to us in 2018.
