The year has not been a good one. In fact, there is not one person I know who has not been touched by a crisis of some sort in 2016. I thought, as many of us did, that 2015 would come to an end and 2016 would be better, but on the roller coaster of history it looks like we’re still not at the bottom of that horrifying first dive. One has to hit bottom to go up again.
Or at least we have to crest that first bump.
We lost great people this year. Not all of them were celebrities (though the unnecessary death of Prince still rankles at number one for me). Victims of bullying were in all the major magazines and newspapers this year. Hundreds of people died in terrorist attacks and natural disasters. No rosters of names appear anywhere. The celebrities get the airtime. Bodies are found and discarded and life goes on. Nobody interviews the bullies to learn the aftermath of what they did to cause their victims to die. Were their lives any better? I’d like to see one done. Just once. Maybe we’d understand terrorists better. How different are the two, really?
Crime was rampant, and it seemed the number of black people dying in police encounters was reported more than the number of white people dying in police encounters. Maybe as a race white people should hoist signs and protest when anybody is killed by officers, but there seems to be a cultural divide that enables white people to just move on. I can’t figure it out and don’t feel right about trying. We all matter, though. Don’t we?
Obesity and nutrition are big topics. Recently the dairy farmers have been encouraging the enforcement of the definition of what milk is, since almond milk does not come from any type of animal, but real milk does. The information out there about what is good for you or might kill you is mind-boggling. Nobody can possibly keep up with all the nutritional news garbage being put into the news. I can’t even get past what constitutes a healthy breakfast, since everything on the menu has potentially fatal consequences for being eaten. Except water. If the pipes are okay.
And in less than a month we will have the most controversial new president in office, and people are genuinely afraid for our future. Nobody seemed this scared when President Obama was sworn in. And in terms of calming the tide of fear when it comes to black versus white culture, that is saying a lot. And it is a positive in a year of negativity.
So how do we go forward in peace?
Simple. We understand that we cannot fix everything, but we can start within ourselves to take a cleansing breath and move forward. Crisis is a part of life every day of every year. Tomorrow is just another period of time in which to make something different.
Breathe in, and breathe out. One moment of peace is a way to get up that next hill on the roller coaster and ride the rest out.
Find peace. That is my wish for you this week and always.
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