As I prepared to write my last article for 2015, something unexpected happened this past week that took me a little by surprise. Even though the human race provides me with a continuous supply of topics to write about, for some reason, even with my wife's help and suggestions, I couldn't find anything across the news feeds, news broadcasts or newspaper headlines that tickled my pen's fancy. I've experienced slow news weeks in the past, but never to this extent. As a matter of fact, most of the time, it's quite the opposite and I have difficulty deciding what to focus the week's article on. The subjects and the people are all so tempting.... just waiting for an Observational editorial.
I just couldn't understand it. How could there be nothing to write about?.... Nothing? And then I thought of something I hadn't before. Although I'm not a firm believer in destiny or fate, I have to resign myself to the possibility, taking in to consideration the season we are celebrating, that I found exactly what I was supposed to..... absolutely nothing. Even though I knew the subjects were there right in front of me and ripe for critiques, I couldn't see them. Why, my fellow Observers? Well, I don't quite know the reason. Maybe I need new glasses to straighten my eyes. Maybe I bought the wrong size shoes and their pinching my feet. Or maybe... just maybe, as I look into my daughters eyes and witness the wonder and the magic that only a child can see, I can only hear the things that speak to my heart instead of my mind.
Wouldn't that be wonderful, my loyal reader? If for just one moment we could all let everything that keeps us separated fall away. If for just a small amount of time we could all focus on the meanings of all the holidays we celebrate at this time of year and join together in our celebrations and diversity. Rejoicing in allowing our differences to become our common thread and realize that even though we believe differently, the sentiment of the ideal is the same no matter how we celebrate it.
If for just one day we could forget our petty differences about who believes in what, what holiday this one celebrates, which day that one celebrates it on, when the tradition started or why. If we could all put aside what we find offensive, our colors, our religions, our prejudices, our governments.... If we could just abandoned our hate. Maybe then, we could open our eyes and see that we all share the same dreams, desires, fears and wishes for the world we are creating. Maybe then we might become, for no matter how brief, the people we all wish we could be and not pass down our undesirable traits to our children.
For whatever reason, my eyes or my feet, my heart, at least this week, has received the special gift of being a little less cynical and is holding out for the possibility of something that it has turned cold to lately in my life.... Hope. Hope for acceptance. Hope for tolerance. Hope that humanity can see past it's prejudices and work together to reach the epiphany that will show us that we are all the same. A hope for peace. No matter how small that hope may be, no matter how long it lasts before I start finding fault in our species and allow my cynicism to take it's place once again, I must acknowledge that it is there.... for now. Maybe.... just maybe.... it's enough. Strictly an Observation. If you'll excuse me, I'm hoping to find nothing.... once again.
As we Observe this holiday season and bid farewell to 2015, I wanted to extend a wish of Happiness, Health and Peace to all my fellow Observers for the season and the upcoming New Year. I thank you all for your friendship, your honesty and your support.
Never Stop Observing!
J.
