This is the title of a well-known poem by American author and Minister Robert Fulghum where he reminds us that life lessons are simple, but perhaps their execution is less so.
Rules like, play fair, don’t hit people, say you’re sorry when you hurt someone, don’t take things that don’t belong to you, clean up your own mess, and my favourite – hold hands and stick together, are ones we’ve heard since childhood. Do we still believe them today? Can we still believe them?
It’s tough out there at the moment. Brutal wars are flourishing in Gaza and the Ukraine, environmental issues remain unaddressed, inflation continues to put pressure on daily living, respiratory viruses are rebounding and artificial intelligence is rising, posing inconceivable changes that can improve or destroy everything, or maybe both. How to cope?
We do what we can with what we have where we live. We find ways to make things better for our neighbours. But first we have to use the biggest word in the Dick and Jane books: Look! That’s how we’ll discover where we are needed most. Happy Holidays, Karen. KG
