I’ve never been one to make New Year’s resolutions. I’m not against the concept; it’s just that I usually forget to make them. And, well, if I forget to make them, I don’t hold out much hope that I’ll keep them, either.
But I do like to see positive growth in myself and others, and as a sub-minor member of the media, it seems that it is my duty to offer helpful suggestions from time to time. The following is a quick list of what I’d like to see this year. (Where they apply to me personally, I “resolve” to do my best to honor them.)
—I would like to see and hear politicians act as if they don’t care if they ever get re-elected. I would like them to start treating their elected positions less as careers and more like temporary terms of service. I would like them to be so busy being selfless that, when they run for re-election, it feels like they’re doing it last-minute. And I’d like them to do it without spending millions and millions of dollars—money that could be better spent directly impacting the problems that they say we can’t solve unless we elect them (again).
—I would like to see folks spend less time on Facebook and more time with their faces in books. (Yes, this one applies to me.)
—Less hysteria and more critical thinking would be great. The gun control debate would be a good place to start.
—People need to go out of their way to meet, interact with and do their best to understand people different from themselves.
—I’d love to see gas prices less than $2 again.
—I would like to see fewer 40-somethings trying desperately to hang onto their 20s.
—We desperately need to place a greater emphasis on personal responsibility in this country. Our government was not created to—nor should it be expected to—do all the things we expect it to.
—I would love to see the word “hate” used a lot less and for more people to understand that it’s possible to disagree with others without hating them.
—I wish people talked as much about preventive care as they do about Obamacare.
—We need to commit more acts of random kindness.
—We need to check on our neighbors more often.
—We need to protect the innocence of our children.
—It would be a wonderful thing if our nation could band together again like we did in the days following 9/11—only not in the wake of another national tragedy.
—I would like to see more people boldly share and defend unpopular opinions.
—Life is short, and nobody lays on their deathbed wishing they’d spent more time at the office. Let’s spend each day living like it's our last, focused on making lasting memories with those closest to us.
Happy New Year, everybody.
Bill Colrus writes about news, culture, music and media. You can find him on Facebook, follow him on Twitter or reach him at billcolrus@gmail.com. The opinions expressed in this column belong solely to the author, not Nooga.com or its employees.
