…And there’s reason to believe, that maybe this year will be better than the last….” – Counting Crows
I want to wish everyone a Happy New Year to all my readers (all 2 of you) – I am sure it will have brighter outlooks than this last year. And hopefully this decade will be better as well. I must say, though, that it does not feel like we’ve changed years or decades. I am already forgetting to write 10 instead of 09 at the end of dating something. I really hate to recap all of the going-ons of the last year and decade, as you can tune in to most news channels to get that fulfillment. In addition, tune into most radio stations, and they will give you the year and decade in review of music. So at least that is covered. All I can say is that I hope this coming year is better than the last. Although it may be worthwhile to be somewhat realistic (some may call it pessimistic). While the economy and unemployment really can’t get much worse, there are some things, such as the environment and drug-resistant illnesses that can. Oh, go ahead and bitch that I am raining on the parade that is the beginning on 2010, but it is reality, and nobody seems willing to really deal with it.
The fact is, the environment is doing down the shitter, and quickly. Some argue the global warming due to human impact, and others argue that global warming is a made up thing. Then there are some who think it exists but we have no real impact on it. And still others just don’t care. I tend to think that global temperature change will happen as it has for millennia, but yes, our ridiculous amount of emissions (worldwide, not just the US) and the general lack of caring by most of the world has also had an impact on where we are headed. And maybe, even if we stopped emitting all together, or at least cut back, it wouldn’t really make a difference, but what’s the harm in trying?
In regards to my other mention – have you heard that drug-resistance illnesses such as HIV , tuberculosis, and MRSA are on the rise? Oh yes. Our antibiotic-happy country (and others) has helped over-medicate so many people that the result is that these diseases are now becoming resistant to the very medications meant to cure/treat them. Maybe, just maybe, and our country should be the first to do this, if we stopped being excessive in everything we do…maybe we wouldn’t end up with most of the problems we seem to currently have. Although we do have a history of doing something (overly medicating, selling weapons to certain countries such as Afghanistan during Charlie Wilson’s war) to try to aid/prevent/wipe out a problem (medical or otherwise) just to have it come back and bite us in the ass (uh…current day Afghanistan situation, newly drug-resistant disease for a couple examples). Oh well…it’s just the American way, right?
