Filling our lives with true hope
We are living during the worst economic crisis since the great depression. We see before our eyes the collapse of our economic system. The unemployment rate rose to 6.7%, while the economy shed 533,000 jobs this last November - the largest decline since 1974. Foreclosures on hard working families and individuals continue. Our national debt is at a 53 year high; 10 trillion - each citizen's share of this debt is $34,730.13. The number of people in jail are at an all time high over 2.3 million. The rate of suicide in the United States is increasing for the first time in a decade. The drug war in Mexico and U.S. has produced the death of over 6,000 people this year. And that is not to mention the other Social, Political, and Environmental Issues that affect us all. We face a convergence of crisis.
So what does this Christmas bring to us? What do we look forward to in 2009?
What is clear is that none of these problems will ever go away unless we can embrace one fundamental value or principle that has been lacking in our way of thinking so far; that we are all in this together. We cannot shy from the responsibility of being part of a society we have created. I believe that Kirvil Skinnarland put it in perspective:
An unsustainable society does not arise solely out of ignorance, irrationality or greed. It is largely the collective consequence of rational, well-intended decisions made by people caught up in social, political and economic systems that make it difficult or impossible to act in ways that are fully responsible to all those affected in the present and in the future.
Thomas Jefferson said of the U.S. that we were "the last great hope for the world." What we are presented with is a great opportunity to be a part of something bigger than one person. To show the world that we are truly a kind, caring and compassionate people. That the challenges we face are opportunities that make us stronger. We are presented with the greatest opportunity to face our generation. Building a truly sustainable society. A society that is just and equitable and which provides opportunities to its members in order that all can fulfill his/her greatest potential. A society that provides the basic needs of life - work, healthcare, education and so forth. A society that provides the greatest good for the greatest number.
I do not believe that this idea of a sustainable society is an idealistic or romantic notion of hope. What is required of us is to believe that we can be a people fillled with compassion, sacrifice, courage and kindness. As the great Howard Zinn said:
What we choose to emphasize in this complex history will determine our lives. If we see only the worst, it destroys our capacity to do something, If we remember those times and places -- and there are so many -- where people have behaved magnificently, this gives us the energy to act, and at least the possibility of sending this spinning top of a world in a different direction. And if we do act, in however a small way, we don't have to wait for some grand utopian future. The future is an infinite succession of presents, and to live now as we think human beings should live, in defiance of all that is bad around us, is itself a marvelous victory.
Our focus must now be in how each and every one of us can contribute to the collective good of our future. This requires that we put aside our petty differences. This requires us to put aside our foolish ideas of end times and prophecies of the past; for if our focus and our attention is placed on those things than we contribute to their fulfillment. We must work together in building a sustainable future.
My wish for you this Christmas and New Year is that our deepest sense of family, community, and country be renewed. That our deepest convictions brings us closer to our sense of belief in the ideals that makes our country a truly hopeful sign of hope for the rest of the world . That our light becomes light for those who most need it.
May peace and love be in your heart this Christmas. May inspiration and hope be your strenght this New Year.
Enrique Mier Vergara
So what does this Christmas bring to us? What do we look forward to in 2009?
What is clear is that none of these problems will ever go away unless we can embrace one fundamental value or principle that has been lacking in our way of thinking so far; that we are all in this together. We cannot shy from the responsibility of being part of a society we have created. I believe that Kirvil Skinnarland put it in perspective:
An unsustainable society does not arise solely out of ignorance, irrationality or greed. It is largely the collective consequence of rational, well-intended decisions made by people caught up in social, political and economic systems that make it difficult or impossible to act in ways that are fully responsible to all those affected in the present and in the future.
Thomas Jefferson said of the U.S. that we were "the last great hope for the world." What we are presented with is a great opportunity to be a part of something bigger than one person. To show the world that we are truly a kind, caring and compassionate people. That the challenges we face are opportunities that make us stronger. We are presented with the greatest opportunity to face our generation. Building a truly sustainable society. A society that is just and equitable and which provides opportunities to its members in order that all can fulfill his/her greatest potential. A society that provides the basic needs of life - work, healthcare, education and so forth. A society that provides the greatest good for the greatest number.
I do not believe that this idea of a sustainable society is an idealistic or romantic notion of hope. What is required of us is to believe that we can be a people fillled with compassion, sacrifice, courage and kindness. As the great Howard Zinn said:
What we choose to emphasize in this complex history will determine our lives. If we see only the worst, it destroys our capacity to do something, If we remember those times and places -- and there are so many -- where people have behaved magnificently, this gives us the energy to act, and at least the possibility of sending this spinning top of a world in a different direction. And if we do act, in however a small way, we don't have to wait for some grand utopian future. The future is an infinite succession of presents, and to live now as we think human beings should live, in defiance of all that is bad around us, is itself a marvelous victory.
Our focus must now be in how each and every one of us can contribute to the collective good of our future. This requires that we put aside our petty differences. This requires us to put aside our foolish ideas of end times and prophecies of the past; for if our focus and our attention is placed on those things than we contribute to their fulfillment. We must work together in building a sustainable future.
My wish for you this Christmas and New Year is that our deepest sense of family, community, and country be renewed. That our deepest convictions brings us closer to our sense of belief in the ideals that makes our country a truly hopeful sign of hope for the rest of the world . That our light becomes light for those who most need it.
May peace and love be in your heart this Christmas. May inspiration and hope be your strenght this New Year.
Enrique Mier Vergara
