As 2009 begins, amidst the harbingers of war, the frustrations of nations determined, and intent on protecting themselves, their way of life, and their people from destruction, without losing the very sense of identity and freedom which other nations have both envied and withheld from their own, it is telling that our sense of possibility is tied into a changing view of ourselves, of who we think is capable - and why. It is possibility, and audacity in the face of regression, repression, and recession, and the very daring that not only suggests hope - but creates it again, in the minds and hearts of those shared, shining lights.
In a world sometimes bent on crushing progress, destroying understanding and tolerance, withering a sense of growth and kindness after the incessant violence of wars which do nothing to lessen the glamorization of war, and preserve the old ideal of "returning to normalcy" as the mission's heart, to hope - nay, to dream again - must be something that we celebrate about our determination, as 2009 brings in a time of challenge. We're up for it.
