It is 2014, and all is well!

        Well, my triskaidekaphobia‎ is over and so is the great year of '13.  Oh it was a wonderful year of can kicking, sequestration, government shut downs, Obama Care debates and quantitative easement (otherwise known as printing unbacked money and infusing it into the world economy to pretend we are doing better). But we made it in spite of all of the self-important and fearless talking heads who continue to rant about the destruction and doom being wrought by those who don’t share their particular philosophy.
       Here we are in 2014 and finally everything is all fixed.  It was a rough ride to get to paradise, but we made it to the land of milk and honey intact.  What?  You what?  Oh, sorry, I really thought all the worry and bad stuff ended at midnight.   I need to start watching the news more often; any suggestions: Fox News, MSNBC, Al Jazeera? 

       So help me here: I don’t get it, if the government and economy continue to be all screwed up, our personal lives are still in turmoil with debt, failing relationships and thankless jobs, and worse yet, Maury Povich is still on TV, why were all those people cheering and screaming last night?  What was the point of dropping crystal balls, Moon Pies and opossums?  I saw everyone celebrating by acting crazy, wearing ridiculous hats and silly glasses shaped into the number 2014, getting drunk, shooting fireworks, blowing noise makers and kissing strange women (okay, maybe that last one isn’t so weird), but now you tell me it was all for naught?  That is soooooo wrong! 

       Something needs to be done; lets resolve to end this worthless tradition. 

       No, not the wild parties and drunken debauchery, what I mean is ending the futility of New Year’s Eve celebrations by giving the people something to celebrate.  Instead of a resolution of weight loss, renewed exercise regimen or absolution of your personal vices, how about we think a little bigger?  Why not resolve to personally change the world?  What do you mean you can’t do that?  In 2013, we lost Nelson Mandela, Margaret Thatcher, David Frost, Tom Clancy, Lou Reed, George Jones, Pat Summerall, Stan Musial, Roger Ebert and Dr. Joyce Brothers; are you trying to tell me that one person can’t make a difference?  As the great comedian Jonathan Winters (who we also lost) said: “Nothing is impossible. Some things are just less likely than others.” 

       We: you and me, can do something to make things better. Likely or not, if Maury Povich can convince network executives that a woman who needs to have a dozen or more paternity tests to figure out who her baby’s daddy is, or some teenager needs a polygraph test to find out if her mother is sleeping with her boyfriend is redeeming enough to merit TWO daily television timeslots, then you and I can change the world.

       Confucius (or was it Lao-Tsu?) said, “A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.”  First of all, I wasn’t aware that the Chinese in the 5th century BC even knew what a mile was. Secondly, wisdom always sounds smarter when we quote a dead guy, especially a philosopher.  And lastly, the world didn’t get into the shape it is instantaneously; it evolved very slowly, a single step at a time.
       I know there is a great inertia dragging our society, our cultures, our traditions, and our morals further in the wrong direction, and I don’t know about you, but I think I am going to try to take a step the other way.  I might not be able to fix the whole world, but if I don’t try, I will be disappointed.  

       It is like my old debate argument about religion.  If I live my life in Faith and get to the end only to discover I was wrong, I won’t be disappointed that I lived my life morally; no harm done.  But if we get to the end and discover I was right…?  Where will you be?  Will it still be “no harm done”?  I’m going to take a step and see where it leads.