eThoughts : New Year’s Thoughts for 2006

Here it is the dawn of another new year. What ever happened to Y2K?

As you might imagine, I have some thoughts about the upcoming year. And as you might have guessed, I’m not keeping them to myself. Well, not all of them anyway. These thoughts are themes I’ve previously written about, but hey, it’s the time of the year for review.

Since New Years is often about resolutions, let’s start with understanding the difference between sacrifice and temperance. Mostly, I suspect we don’t have to give things up, perhaps we just don’t have to indulge so much. A reason for the season and all of that.

Let us practice consideration more than condemnation. Yep, there are many things we cannot abide, but that doesn’t mean we have to slice up people. If nothing is beneath you, just how elevated can you be?

Let us substitute the word dehumanization for the word discrimination. Dehumanization is more to the point. And having realized that, let’s not do it. What would be the point?

Let us use the word acceptance instead of tolerance. Used in the context of understanding other cultures or ethnicities, tolerant is a word that puts so much distance between us and others. It is a word that speaks of our ascension and our knowing that others have not. Perhaps ascension is a matter of degree more than it is a category—we all have some elevation some times. In any case, tolerant actually means that we don’t get it and we’re awaiting further instruction.

Let us stop confusing authority as awareness. One can have authority, yet have little awareness. But one that is aware, necessarily has authority. Others may not be aware of that, but think about where credibility comes from—it comes because others grant it. Good grief, we’ve killed off messiahs because they had awareness and authority. And guess why they were killed—because of authority without awareness.

Let us quit having a God that takes sides. Just what kind of a God is that anyway? Love and beauty and enlightenment aren’t sides, they just are. We have to realize it. That’s not about God, that’s about us.

Let us realize that when we do take sides, we don’t think everyone should be there as well. What, we’re not good if others choose another path? How solid is that ground? Oh—we’re so good that we’re not good if others don’t get it. So, we have to ingrate/berate/tolerate/liberate them so we can save them from themselves? In other words, there is only one way to learn?

Let us stop so much catastrophizing. The sky may fall sometimes, but it’s actually not nearly as common as another beautiful day.

Let us practice a little more wonder and a little less en garde. Actually we can do both, but only if wonder is involved.

And to give wonder its proper due, let us practice more wonder and less knowing. Okay, we can know, but we can also wonder about what we know. Wonder need not be reserved for what we don’t know.

And finally, at least for this list, let’s realize how hard it is to be happy. And let’s not despair about it. Let’s be able to laugh, or at least snicker, at how good we are at bearing our troubles. Why is suffering noble again? What’s wrong with a balsa wood cross with wheels? And why do we bear up so well—to make us worthy to enter heaven (read happiness)? Okay—let’s do it, let’s be happy. How many thousand (millions) of years do we have to toil and trouble to grant ourselves happiness? Oh yeah, I forget—when we are worthy we will be called. What if all are called already and only a few are listening? Let’s resolve for the New Year to listen already. I suspect our happy room is reserved and waiting. Think how much joy it will bring to all concerned if we just show up.

So—here’s to new cheer for the New Year. And many happy returns.