As we stand on the threshold of a new year, we must ask ourselves: What awaits us in 2025?
Every indication is that there will be some rather dramatic changes in how we operate as a nation and as a society. We will have to wait and see how that translates to our everyday lives and how it translates to our position in the world.
"Inevitably, some cherished traditions may change-- or even fade away. In addition, there will be some transitions which we might find challenging and possibly, some we may welcome . Ultimately, it will be a time of both endings and new beginnings-- a period of transformation for us all.
As the world will continue in its dynamism, continuing to grow, change and evolve, we will need to find ways to deal with those changes and the new realities which face us as a result. Change is inevitable and resisting it too strongly might spark upheaval.
But most importantly for us as American citizens, we will be tested, challenged to fulfill our responsibilities as citizens to work to support our heritage of democracy that is at the heart of this nation. We will need to support better solutions. We will need to depend on community and not so much on elective politics to deal with the challenges we face not only as a nation, but also as a part of an international community and finally as an integral part of the planet.
We will need to find ways to operate to retain our self-respect, to call upon our reserves and our resilience to meet our new challenges and responsibilities.
Our individual sensibilities will be tested to see if we are up to the task of retaining our roles of citizens or will we devolve into subjects of an autocratic leadership.
There is a version of an ancient Chinese curse, "May you live in a time of change."
Our response to these changes will shape not just 2025, but our collective future. The choice is ours.
