Oh how the sands of time do forever shift dear friends.
The year draws to a close and with it, its accompanying mishaps, milestones, memories and merriments.
Many are relieved to see 2016 end, as it was the year that elected Donald Trump as America’s autocrat, held a controversial if not intriguing Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, and had us say goodbye to David Bowie and Gordie Howe.
But let us not dwell on the negative. We are the change we want to see in the world – such is the cliché. And we are lucky. We are the ones who strived and struggled to make our way and much remains to be thankful for.
We have made progress in science and technology like no other generation before us. We are on the cusp of a manned trip to our nearest planet, Mars. We have discovered deep-sea marine life never before seen by human beings.
We have made progress in dealing with our greatest challenges when it comes to social justice, human rights and disease.
Such is the good news.
But as 2017 dawns upon us, let us remember that which links us all. In turbulent times, we must remember our love for our neighbours, our selflessness and our charity. We must remember the precarious state of our climate. We must remember that faith is a beautiful thing but can be shrouded in hate if left to its own devices. Human determination is ubiquitous and everlasting – lessons we can learn from the Renaissance and Leon Battista Alberti. Let us gaze over the past and learn its many lessons. Let us turn our attention to the future and see a blank slate in which anything that can be imagined will be. This is our world. Our lives. And our future. Let us grasp a hold of all that is possible, bountiful and just and share it amongst our friends.
My hope is not just for a healthy and happy New Year, such is too sanguine. What I hope for is a year full of trials and tribulations, good times and bad times, for that is the true experience of life.