I can think of no better words to start the New Year than these (by John Lewis):

“I ask you to reach down inside yourself, and find the truth your life is compelling you to see. That is your road to true peace, and it is the beginnings of the evolution of humankind. Because every change in the world starts within. It begins with one individual who envisions his or her micro-universe the way it can be, and settles for nothing less. And as one individual moves toward the light, that light ignites more individual flames and eventually the revolutionary inner work becomes a transformative outer work that builds into a bonfire of light, the kind of light that can change the world. It starts from within, with one individual who seeks the way of peace. Will you be that one person?”

Hoping, wishing, and celebrating the arrival of a New Year is a nice tradition, but 2021, like 2020, and all the years before it, will be what we make it. That’s just the way it is. It depends on our choices and dedication to truth,

Will our response to danger be wise? Or foolish? Will we be swayed by provocative lies and see enemies where none exist? Or will we listen to reason that is weighed not only by our own unbiased reason but by conscience too?

While ideologies continue fighting each other to be king of the hill, ignoring their own failures, it is the time for us, as awakened individuals, to show our mettle as free thinkers dedicated to virtue.

With that, I add to my Happy New Year’s wish the suggestion that we do what we can to make it happy, not just for us but for everyone.

Dean J. Jacques, KCN