As the year 2023 passes into history, most Americans are happy to see it go. Despite the best efforts of our public intellectuals turned propagandists, the American citizenry thinks that Anno Domini 2023 was a bad year indeed. Naturally, those who believe most fervently in democracy, especially in the will of the majority, will tell you that in this case the majority is wrong, that it holds a skewed vision of the year that is now passing.
A large part of one's decision to cast 2023 into the "good" or "bad" year category depends on what one has personally experienced. To be sure, personal triumphs or tragedies are largely isolated from events outside one's own sphere, although certainly not entirely so. Simple examples abound here: one may have been able to obtain or advance in a job; find a life companion; have a child or children; make a killing in the stock market, etc., all the while chaos seems to reign in the world at large. Conversely, loss of a loved one or serious illness can cast a pall over even the "best" year. One can see Ukrainians partying until dawn in Kiev nightclubs and Russians sunning themselves on the beach at Sochi while elsewhere in their benighted countries, bombs are exploding and their fellow citizens are being slaughtered. Of course, much of the decision to categorize the year is absorbed from our so-called "news" sources. The decisions made at the editorial desk (or perhaps somewhere higher than that) regarding what to advance as the story/stories du jour are a large part of how we view life in general. It is well to remember always, as wise Solomon told us, there is nothing new under the sun and at the end of the day, all mortal life with its ups and downs is vanity. A man devotes his life to building and his children squander all his efforts after his death. Kings and kingdoms rise and fall like the ocean's tides. We should all have a person trailing behind us whispering, "Memento mori." Or perhaps we could all take a page from DeGaulle's book, when he reportedly said, upon gazing at a cemetery full of notables, that all cemeteries are filled with indispensable men. Regardless of events elsewhere, I would be remiss if I did not wish you a "Happy New Year," and so I do, to you and all the other consumers of your invaluable insights.
A large part of one's decision to cast 2023 into the "good" or "bad" year category depends on what one has personally experienced. To be sure, personal triumphs or tragedies are largely isolated from events outside one's own sphere, although certainly not entirely so. Simple examples abound here: one may have been able to obtain or advance in a job; find a life companion; have a child or children; make a killing in the stock market, etc., all the while chaos seems to reign in the world at large. Conversely, loss of a loved one or serious illness can cast a pall over even the "best" year. One can see Ukrainians partying until dawn in Kiev nightclubs and Russians sunning themselves on the beach at Sochi while elsewhere in their benighted countries, bombs are exploding and their fellow citizens are being slaughtered. Of course, much of the decision to categorize the year is absorbed from our so-called "news" sources. The decisions made at the editorial desk (or perhaps somewhere higher than that) regarding what to advance as the story/stories du jour are a large part of how we view life in general. It is well to remember always, as wise Solomon told us, there is nothing new under the sun and at the end of the day, all mortal life with its ups and downs is vanity. A man devotes his life to building and his children squander all his efforts after his death. Kings and kingdoms rise and fall like the ocean's tides. We should all have a person trailing behind us whispering, "Memento mori." Or perhaps we could all take a page from DeGaulle's book, when he reportedly said, upon gazing at a cemetery full of notables, that all cemeteries are filled with indispensable men. Regardless of events elsewhere, I would be remiss if I did not wish you a "Happy New Year," and so I do, to you and all the other consumers of your invaluable insights.
Like pilots say about a landing; any landing you can walk away from is a good landing.
For those of us walking on to 2024, 2023 has been a good year!