A look back

location: my office
music: Jimmy Eat World- "Polaris"

The last day of the year, 2004.

This is always a time of hope. A desire for the new year to usher in better times. It is a natural desire as we mark the passing of a calendar year with the approach of a new one. I mean who really wants a worse year to come than the previous one. Well I shouldn't put it pass everyone.

So here are some thoughts on the passing year.

Presidential race: Nothing more needs to be said really. If you liked George Bush you voted for him. If you hated Bush you probably voted for Kerry. Either way its history til 2008. There was a lighter side to the election. It just didn't come from either party.

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September 11: Let's face it. The US is in Iraq & Afghanistan because of the actions on that day. Cause & Effect. And so America continues to live in the shadow of the tragic event.

Ronald Reagan: He was known as the "Great Communicator" and was the first president I can remember. I didn't pay much attention to politics as a kid, but he had an aura about him that made me like him. He was a political giant but he had the grandfatherly quality. Our 40th president set in motion the current Republican stronghold in our government, and he did it all with an assuring smile. He reframed the political debate between conservative & liberals. And made a seismic shift towards the right.

But the most important aspect of Ronald Reagan was not his presidency but his relationship with his wife, Nancy. From reading some of his letters, I couldn't imagine a more doting husband. And from seeing her stoicism in the face of his struggle with Alzheimers, I couldn't imagine a more devoted wife. If every marriage was full with love as theirs and as strong, the world would be a better place.

US Armed services: While most Americans are celebrating the holidays with their loved ones, many of our brave men and women of the military are serving overseas. It is difficult enough to be in a combat zone, but to compound the holiday season on top of it makes it even more difficult. In the end, it is never easy the price of our freedom. Some just carry a larger share of the burden than others. Ironic that we fight to be equal in America for our liberties, yet we are not equal in fighting to protect it.

Democratic process: Afghanistan had free elections for the first time this year. Ukraine had a peaceful and successful protest of a fraudulent election geared to sway in favor of an outside totalitarian force, Russia. Now it stands to reverse the previous results. And two huge tests are in the year to come in Palestine and Iraq. Where a legitimate elected body will prove to be the biggest step towards bringing legitimacy to these people in an area not known for either democratic values or stability. This is the major movement of our last century and now it is being tested in a region with a rich history of strife.

Terrorist attacks: On the flip side of the forward progress of democracy have been the acts of terrorism in Russia, Spain, Iraq, and others. In Madrid bombs hidden in backpacks exploded on four commuter trains. In Russia, a school filled with children was taken hostage and resulted in gunfire and explosions killing many innocent. The tragedy here is the young victims. And in Iraq there are continued attacks on the US military and more recently on Iraqi security forces as well as ordinary citizens. These terrorists' actions speak volumes about their indifference towards life as they carry out their acts of calculated violence.


And finally,

Indian Ocean Tsunami: Nature has a way of pointing out how frail the human condition is sometimes. From coming down with a condition affecting our personal health to the cataclysmic event that can shake the foundations of nations and the global community. In fact it has totally overshadowed the global acts of terrorism. The unflinching hand of nature is without prejudice and political motive. And so it has a way of humbling people.

The scope of the disaster in south Asia is unimaginable. One in which most of us have not seen in our lives. To see the current estimates of 120,000 dead with only more to come is saddening. Then we realize 5 million are left homeless with the outbreak of disease to come. And once again the death and current plight of the children is most heart wrenching. The images are too frightening and too real, but this is the world we live in. We can't hide from it, and we shouldn't look away either.

As the survivors morn for their loved ones, the world must race to take care for those that survived. This new year begins on a somber note. For many there is more to grieve than to celebrate. For the rest of us we need to help in any way we can and to pray for them. In the end how we treat our brothers & sisters halfway across the globe that we don't know will speak volumes on who we are in the eyes of the Lord.

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