Editorial - May the new year bring hope

Today is a brand new day. This day begins the new year. Just like any beginning, the air is rife with hope and prayer, that things may turn out for the better, not just for us, but for every member of the human race.

Our imperfections always bring anxiety and dread, about things to come, because of things that have gone. For it is always from the past that we are able to draw conclusions, from lessons learned both badly and well.

But there is no stopping tomorrow, even if that tomorrow poses a challenge we may not likely meet. The choices we have do not include the ability to postpone tomorrow and what it can bring.

Thus the better way to face the inevitability of tomorrow is not to consider the possibility of failing, but to strive for the equal possibility of succeeding. All things being equal, our chances of pulling through are actually great.

In this country, our tomorrow started a little bit earlier with the change in leadership. Our

president, more than any other new president, exhibited a far greater tendency to err and to be tentative.

On the other hand, perhaps it is well that we have been introduced to the possibility of failure first. That leaves us room for the better things that must surely come in their own time. Maybe this is the year that the sun shines for all.

More people did not vote for our new president. But they are people who merely exercised their right to choose. They are not enemies of the state to be excluded in the consideration of what is in the best interest of the nation.

More importantly, those people who had other choices can be won over, if for no other reason than, ironically, they no longer have a choice. The new leader may not be to their liking but he is the new leader.

It is up to the new leader to recognize this. The greater challenge is his. Given the chance to hope, and to believe there is in fact hope, everyone, friends and foes alike, can be brought on board. There is no doubt about that. The only question is how. Happy New Year. (FREEMAN)