By today most of us would have gone through the Christmas feast leftovers, the children are enjoying their new toys and, for some, the relatives may be now overstaying their welcome. We hope that everyone–Christians or not–will have made the most of the extended break to spend quality time with family and friends, enjoying the simple but beautiful moments of life with loved ones.
This pause from our life’s hectic cycle and the fast approaching end of the year are also a good moment for us to think about the year nearly gone and what we can do to have a better 2017. And given the year we just had, it is perhaps even more important for us to pause and think carefully about the next 12 months.
There is a lot to despair about: the climate of fear brought by unacceptably high level of crime and wanton violence; an economy contracting at an alarming rate, heeling from low oil price and past profligacy; lack of trust in politicians and those in position of authority; and, at times, a feeling that the current administration is either in denial or paralysed by the sheer volume of problems it needs to help fix.
Beyond these shores, we also fret about what the world under President Trump will look like–and what that will mean for us. And radicalism is ending the year as it started, with no sign of becoming less violent. The latest attack at a German Christmas fair joined the tragic list of carnage left by extremists this year in Europe, North America, Asia and Africa. Their actions not only engender fear and xenophobic reactions (just what the terrorists want) but also appal the vast majority of peaceful and law-abiding Muslims all over the world.
However, what makes humankind both impressive and depressing at the same time is that, for every barbaric act, we seem to come up with something amazing. That’s what explains how, despite all the killing and hunger we see, as a species we now live longer, better and healthier than all previous generations. And when we put our efforts into something positive, the results are truly impressive.
A great example is the global campaign launched in 1988 to eradicate polio–the source of much suffering by children and adults attacked by the virus. This year, only Pakistan and Afghanistan have had registered cases–and just a few of them. Hopefully, polio will join smallpox as diseases officially eradicated from the planet. And images of children in iron lungs will remain where they should be—in museums and history books.
So, as we all clean up after the Christmas holidays, prepare for the Old Year’s celebrations and think up our new year’s resolutions, let’s all think and do amazing things—as small as they might be. None of us can single-handedly cure cancer, stop violence or educate the nation. But polio has been tackled not by big policies but by every single vaccination in every corner of the world. After all, every small positive act builds up quickly into an impressive feat. If we all live by these principles, we will have a much happier, better and prosperous Trinidad and Tobago and the world. Let’s start today.