Our journey from January 1, 2017 to December 31, 2017 is almost complete. It has been a difficult and agonizing year for many on this planet traversing the cosmos.
For others, like Taylor Swift: “I couldn’t have asked for a better year, all thanks to you.” On Social Media the ire of a number of people was enflamed by her comment, and they felt they needed to remind her of how bad 2017 had been so far.
However, many sided with her as well. They had a better year, too.
Many people will be happy to see the end of 2017 for myriad reasons. It has been a year of tragedies and upheavals as well as surprises and shocks.
Of course any year has its moments of joy for a large numbers of people. The reverse of this truth is that there are people who never experienced the joy of 2017—it was just another year of survival.
The predatorial underpinnings of the entertainment and political arenas came to a full revelation. Women and some men found their voices to communicate what the powerful and infamous had done to them.
It seems almost every day there were new accusations. The swiftness of losing a well-paid job or a stellar reputation was as fast as a tweet or a blink of a Yule tree light.
The never ending debate on gun control continues with causalities in different parts of the USA where someone decided to become a weapon of death and mayhem. Innocent people going about their usual lives became victims of the madness which seems to sweep this planet.
Grieving families could not embrace the festivities of the holidays because of the empty chairs where their loved ones had talked about everyday things and their prospects and hopes for the future. Sadly, those hopes and prospects had come to a tragic end at the hands of those who chose to intrude into the lives of ordinary people with violence.
The rattling of nuclear swords came back to haunt the world stage. We who are older remember the Cold War and the fear on the faces of our parents and teachers who knew if there was a nuclear exchange the reality of life as they knew it would be forever altered with a nightmare too horrible to relate in words.
Rhetoric of annihilation of a country is a sad commentary in 2017. For when war comes, the men, women and children who had no decision making option become the innocent victims of the plague of war regardless of its hideous form.
As this last day sees the sunset of 2017, myriad people will gather to welcome 2018. Resolutions as well as hopes will be made for the New Year.
Many will persuade themselves life will be better in 2018. For many it will be, but for others it will not.
This is the poignant reality of this planet. Humans have the capacity to perform marvelous deeds for the good of all.
Unfortunately, a handful of the 7 billion inhabitants will attempt to make sure their deeds will be what make the headlines. Life will be tenuous for those caught in the cross hairs of these malevolent acts of the few inflicted on the many.
In Greek mythology the Moirai were three sisters—Clotho, Lachesis, and Atropos. They held the destinies of the gods and humans in their hands.
Each god and human had a string of life which these sisters oversaw in their lair. Atropos decided when life was over.
She would end the life by cutting the string of life with her shears. Once cut, life was over for the individual.
This is how life is on this orb hanging in infinite majesty. No one knows when their life will end, and unfortunately, there are so many ways life could end.
The human frame may be a marvel of design, but it is fragile. This fragile component is always with us until we stand on the shore of the cosmic ocean.
We have to embrace 2018 and live, not only live, but thrive in our environs. We must do what we can to help others and save our environment from the chaotic forces in play be they natural or humanly devised.
I bid you a good-bye for 2017 and a hopeful welcome to 2018. May it be a great year for you.
G. D. Williams © 2017
POST 744
Scottish Music – Auld Lang Syne
