Daily Cascade

Facing 2026

"Cheers to a new year and another chance for us to get it right."
Oprah Winfrey
In what ways can we get it right in 2026, personally and as a nation? What about the world?

-----------------------

To begin with, in my humble and jumbled opinion, getting things right in 2026 needs intention, follow-through, and humility, in general. This is because I still believe in the legend of "One Earth, One Future."

In the personal area, I can think of:
*exchanges of ideas but not as competitions and without put-downs
*small consistent kindnesses like keeping promises
*checking on one another,
*allowing growth and encouraging learning as one can never learn enough,
*and maybe resting a bit more, especially in my case.

As a nation and this goes for any nation, not just the USA, let's agree to:
*survive and let others survive
*not use contempt or dehumanizing of other nations
*invest in healthcare, education, infrastructure, mental health
*appreciate honesty over anger and outrage, especially with leaders of nations, and also, let's trust more those leaders who are not afraid of saying they are uncertain about any issue
*protect the nations with the least power and with people who are vulnerable, and not only the loud ones
*give space for shared stories between nations, to show co-existence is possible with or without our differences

As the world, we need to:
*share responsibility. No country can live alone, even the strongest ones.
*do not treat the human stories as statistics. What happens to the people of one nation can easily happen to others, given time.
*cooperate on what threatens others, be it the climate, public health, food, and water as these needs cross all borders.
*choose diplomacy over dominance. Intimidation harms the intimidator the most. Just remember Hitler. When power is used to collaborate and get along with others, it works for the best for every nation.

Come to think of it, as I wrote about these three areas separately, I came to the conclusion that the way forward had to be similar at all three levels. That is: *pay attention, *use patience over panic and *keep up the hope but back it by action, and not just words.

2026 is just about to arrive. The ink is fresh. Let's make it count, this coming year.

Happy 2026, TO Everyone on Earth!