The year 2025 was another crazy year in the United States and around the world. All too often I found myself trying to understand the logic of what was happening only to literally ask in disbelief: Did that really happen? Did we really do that? Do we really know what we’re doing?
Many of the events that occurred during 2025 appeared to me to lack “common sense.” However, I remind myself of the quote often attributed to Mark Twain: “Everything is common sense; the problem is common sense is not common.” Amen!
Nonetheless, it’s now 2026 and the first full week of the new year. In order to start the year in a positive way, I have listed potential resolutions that may be helpful. Some of you will strongly disagree with these suggestions, and that is fine. The key is not to force agreement, but to let everyone express their opinions in a respectful way, “seek to understand before you are understood.”
As an old math major, I have a tendency to number things, so in no particular order, here we go:
1) Avoid the intense polarization that is occurring on almost all issues. Let’s respect one another and take the time to understand all sides of the issues.
2) Let’s not lie to one another or promote “fake news.” Telling the truth is tremendously beneficial.
3) Let’s not call one another names. Most of us learned in kindergarten that it is not appropriate to call people names. We seem to have forgotten this principal.
4) Let’s respect our allies around the world. Calling Canada our 51st state and declaring that the US will take over Greenland isn’t very respectful to our allies.
5) Mexico is another important ally. Declaring that the majority of immigrants coming to the United States from Mexico are “rapists, murderers and drug dealers,” doesn’t strike me as respectful. Let’s take the time to understand the impact of our comments.
6) Let’s be respectful to immigrants. It may be helpful to remember that 99% of us (or our ancestors) came from other countries and played a critical role in building the US into the strongest country in the world. Yes, we must effectively deal with criminals, but let’s take the time to understand to differentiate criminals from the majority of law-abiding people.
7) Let’s be respectful to the children of immigrants. I believe that “citizens by birth” is part of our constitution. Where would they go back to?
8) Let’s play a key role in the world on the topic of climate change for the benefit of our children and grandchildren. Let’s NOT “drill baby drill.”
9) Let’s respect the three branches of the US government that have played a critical role in building the longest continuous democracy on the face of the Earth for the past 250 years. Let’s not make decisions without the involvement of the legislative branch, and let’s respect the role of the Supreme Court.
10) Regarding #9 and the role of the Supreme Court: If the Supreme Court rules that the federal government is not authorized to send troops to US cities without the involvement of the state governors, then let’s not do it.
11) Let’s not blow up boats in international waters without definitive proof of the threat they pose to the United States. Also, let’s not forget the concept of “innocent until proven guilty.”
12) I think I better stop here before trying to understand what happened in Venezuela this past weekend. 😳😳😳Did the United States actually attack an independent country without the involvement of the legislative branch of the US government and declare that the United States would run the country??? It is far above my pay grade to understand the legality, morality, and logic of the events of this weekend.
Despite all of the above, I do remain optimistic that sooner or later we will get our act together. This reminds me one of my very favorite quotes often attributed to Winston Churchill:
“Americans can always be trusted to do the right thing — once all other possibilities have been exhausted.”
