Looking Ahead with Hope

I’m not the type of person to end a year with regrets or, for that matter, to make resolutions for the new year.  I appreciate people who are capable of making such bold gestures, but that’s not for me.  I am the type to look back on the year that’s passed and think in terms of what I can do better next year.  I’m rather prone to running at full speed through life, a problem that pre-dates 2014.  To that end, in 2015, I am going to continue to remind myself to slow down.  That’s not a new idea to me; it’s my life’s challenge.  Each year I get better at striking that balance, though I’m human and therefore still plenty imperfect.

While I may not make resolutions for myself, for the greater political world, I am prepared to resolve and take action.  For the New Year, I’d like to see a political system prepared to address our problems together.   A real and abiding sense of communal responsibility could move us toward solving many of our national and international problems: poverty, climate change, and issues of race would all make progress if we saw ourselves as truly in this life together and responsible for one another.   I’m prepared to do my part, of course, though I’m realistic enough to know that alone won’t be enough.

I’m not a pessimist and I believe that human progress is possible.  There have been moments in the past year when I’ve feared this world view makes me a pollyanna.  But in the end, moving forward and faking it ’til I make it have always been my default mode.  In their strongest versions, that approach can bring me both hope and optimism.  That worldview is the only way I know to face uncertainty.  So I will hold on and live in hope for 2015.