My new year’s wish
I could write about how I wish for world peace and love for mankind, but that would be simplistic and totally unrealistic. Oh sure, I would love that, but I know human nature too well: we are a territorial species who loves to invent new ways to make holes in our fellow human beings. Add religion to the mix and we have a total orgy of bloodletting and primal chest beating. The amount of flesh that has been torn in the name of king and god is astounding.
If I had a wish for this New Year it would be that people start taking responsibility for their own actions. I am sick to death of money grabbing people justifying abuse and slaughter in the name of profit all around the world. It seems to me that too many people care more about their financial sheets than they do about the people who suffer in order to provide them with their luxuries. We talk about World War II as if it was the last Great War. As far as I am concerned we are already in World War III because the whole world is in conflict; whether by shedding blood or by selling souls, we are at war. The only difference is that this time, we are at war for our beliefs and, in many cases, our wallets.
The Americans have, with their foreign policies over the last 60 or so years, created a very hostile world environment by systematically abusing developing countries by offering roses and giving nothing but thorns. Then they have the gall to scream in collective national agony when someone fights back by tumbling the very epitome of their greed. Please don't get me wrong, I love my American friends, and I am quite sure that none of them voted for the purveyors of these abuses.
I see it every day walking in downtown Montreal: people forget how to think about people around them. Everybody is so concerned about themselves that they forget there is someone else walking on the same sidewalk and will not give way. People do not even seem to realize that they share the same space with others on a sidewalk, so how can nations agree to share the same planet.
So, here are my simple wishes for this new year:
1 If it does not belong to you, don’t take it.
2 Hold the door for someone, and if they hold it for you, say thank you.
3 Never ignore someone’s basic needs because of corporate budget constraints.
4 Bargain in good faith.
5 Realise and accept that, yes you have a bellybutton, but no, it is not the centre of the universe.
With this, I wish each and every one of you the very best of the new year; please share responsibly.
