I don't really like the idea of wishing time would move faster. I remember being told on my 21st birthday (just a few years ago, of course!!) that if I thought the first 20 years had gone quickly, then the pace gathered speed even more quickly afterwards, with subsequent years racing by. So it has proven to be the case, and this should therefore create in everyone the thought that you live for the day. Make the best out of it that you can.
You can do nothing about the past - other than pick up and remember the important lessons (investment bankers in particular, take note!) - but you can do something about the present and the future. You can look to the immediate future which, if your health is reasonable and you are able to live within whatever means you have, is under some degree of your own control. And you can look to the distant future and the life you want to try and create for your children, and your childrens children.
Of course, there are plenty of selfish people around who think only of themselves by saying "I have always had to look after myself - so the children can do so as well" ... but in my naivety I still believe there are many more decent minded folk around. But perhaps counter intuitively, I have to say they seem to come from the less privileged parts of society.
Well, here we are already in 2011. If you are a Korean, you became one year older yesterday - even if you were born on 31 December 2010 (and you were already one at birth), but the world is not about to slow down and let you catch your breath.
The West, Europe particularly, is in my opinion still going to go through some generally tough times in the next 12 months. The European economies are not out of trouble yet, and Britain with its austerity package, is about to face the anger of the unions and the students. Petrol prices in that country are set to soar - putting aside the 2.5% increase in VAT that happens on 4 January, taking it to 20% - there is a further fuel tax to be introduced in April 2011. With costs of basic supplies across the board rising, unemployment doing the same, and for tourists now facing punitive taxes to leave the country, no wonder my aged Mother still insists that I am better out of the country than in it!
It seems that the USA has had some "better" news, particularly on the employment front, but everything is relative, isn't it? How much were the employment figures boosted by seasonal work, I wonder? And I noted from the news the other day that people who bought property in the initial crash are now defaulting on those new loans in bigger numbers than before.
Asia, meanwhile, shows signs of resilience. Hopefully it is not going to be a case of "we're all right, so let's not worry about what is going on elsewhere". We had better worry, but we do have the skills in place to continue to grow. But the more we grow, the less the West will like it, and the more protectionism we will see. We need to live for the day, indeed, but not smugly.
The newspapers in the last week have all been about "that was the year that was". Picking out the highs and the lows. I would rather they had concentrated on providing some insights into the year ahead. Where are the opportunities, the jobs, the new ideas, the countries of growth? To encourage people to seek alternatives - maybe not pleasant in terms of expectations- but surely better to be contributing something than expecting to be paid out from taxpayers money. And on the subject of tax, who is going to be generating those jobs and the cash that is needed to run them? If you tax people out of existence, they have the ability to take their talents elsewhere. And they will take their ideas and jobs with them.
It is fashionable in Britain these days to say "it won't happen; there will be no brain drain". Maybe they are right, but maybe they are not. I know of at least one employer (non-British) that is planning to shift a large number of its employment opportunities to another country. It will offer some of its British employees the opportunity to relocate, but jobs will be lost.
It would be wrong of me to say that reflection has no part to play in our lives, but given the current state of our global economy I would suggest we need to concentrate more with getting on with life, and doing less reflecting on the past. Striking (lawfully, and hopefully peacefully) and objecting generally are a part of modern day "rights" - in developed countries in particular, but there is also a requirement to tackle difficult times head on - because if you don't, there will be nothing left on which to reflect.
Thus on a rather generally downbeat note of caution, but nevertheless tinged with some optimism may I extend best wishes for a healthy, courageous 2011, in the hope that when we do get to the "reflecting" bit next December we can say it was tough, but look what we achieved.
The muted tone of your New Year Blog is justified, given the current world scenario! I would agree the future &,especially the(unselfish)moment, are more important,(not to decry positive reflection on past lessons). Like you,I would deplore the habit of the international media/press to concentrate on past mistakes/disasters-sadly,I think,an ingrained habit! However, one positive note,I thought,was in The Christmas Spectator's article on Amr Khaled - 'The Billy Graham' of Islam, & his crusade to restore Islam to the REAL teachings of The Koran, to rescue it from the teachings of the fanatics! Hopefully a very Positive & Optimistic developement! Inshallah!
Posted by: Robert | 04 January 2011 at 03:19 AM
Robert, thank you for the comments and in particular those on Amr Khaled.
He is one of very few who seem to be willing to speak out for an Islam of tolerance and understanding. I know there are many others who also believe in those principles but who do not speak. But if they do not do so soon - and look at what has just happened in Egypt - then we are going to return to the "Dark Ages".
Posted by: David Eldon | 04 January 2011 at 11:09 AM