The End, The Beginning

The End, The Beginning

    For many in the world, today either marks or has already marked, the end of 2015.  Turn on virtually any media source and you will be able to witness everything from well-researched to hastily put-together summaries of what each outlet felt were the highlights of the past year, what had happened, who had passed away, what events had changed the world, who had been forgotten in the sprawl (an excellent excerpt of being forgotten comes from one person's tale of escape as a refugee as told to The New Yorker).  Here in the U.S., it is also the final day to claim a tax deduction for whatever, a gift to charity, a contribution to your retirement fund, an added gifting of money to someone without penalty...but to me, as noteworthy as many of these stories were (for indeed, each year brings many changes as I can attest in dealing with my aging mother), the end is a beginning, a time to look forward instead of back.

    One such story that caught my eye came from Smithsonian and featured what the magazine's editors felt were promising hopefuls, young people (for the most part) with fresh ideas and fresh innovations.  A new plastic, a new detection method for cancers, a new algorithm for music, each bringing a fresh appearance for what could happen on an even grander scale in the coming year.  This is certainly not new as many science, tech and business magazines close their yeas with "40 Under 40" or "30 Under 30" stories of promising and innovative young people entering the world.  But what appears to be different (from my generation of career politicians and armchair quarterbacks) is that many of these young people seem to have a desire to help the world with their inventions and creations.  Certainly, theirs is sometimes a job in a corporate world, and certainly sometimes their best innovations are swept into a use they didn't imagine and perhaps one not quite as altruistic as wanted. This becomes a trade-off for innovation since the price of a patent for protection is high and often a chemical compound or genetic manipulation requires multiple patents and extensive lab usage.  But on the other side of the coin, there is open-source funding and coding and supportive family and friends...and often a desire to just help.

    None of this talk of young innovators takes away from any person of any age doing their best to help; maybe they haven't made the news or didn't get the recognition but their compassion is genuine and (at least with the several friends I've met) has been steadfast for years.  Each bit of food or smile or acknowledgement of existence makes a difference, and despite all the news littering our airwaves and eyes, there seems to be this growing desire to just help others.  More and more, people are wondering where the bullets and weapons are coming from that keep these wars going (and why), and how can we have elaborate almost excessively appointed homes as shown on tv when there are so many without even a cardboard box to block the cold while sleeping under the bridge?  How can there be people going hungry when so much food is simply wasted (a quick trip to your grocery store in the morning will reveal just how much they clear out so that the perfect displays you see shows only non-bruised and non-blemished fruit and vegetables...in my case, 50-gallon trash cans were steadily filled, a bag of fruit having one moldy orange or apple results in the entire bag being tossed). 

    This coming year seems as if it will bring a bit more questioning, a bit more asking of when is enough, enough?  How much money and profit does one or one company need, and at what cost?  Keep water and food a rare commodity but replenish the arsenal of 50-caliber bullets (have you ever priced what each bullet costs in a sporting goods store? -- you'd be shocked).  A generational swell truly seems to be occurring and one can only hope it will be for the better.  I see this in my mother's face, her resignation at her declining mobility, her 90+ years finally catching up to her (she still walks quite a bit but now with a walker).  She is growing bored.  Friends who have retired are growing bored.  Workers making barely enough to pay rent are growing bored.  People trying to help feed the stray animals and the homeless are growing bored.  But what I've noticed is that sometimes boredom can lead to frustration which can lead to questioning among others which can lead to change.  Each of us has a chance once again, highlighted more so at this end-beginning point of the year, a chance to look back or to look forward.  The world awaits your idea, your different outlook, your hope.

    The new year is just that...new.  Change seems to be floating in the air, a changing of the guard, a passing down of the baton, a chance to open the windows and let in some fresh air.  The world seems to be ready and now is your chance.  Welcome the new view, the new outlook, the new year...the new you!  Happy 2016...