By JB Lester
My new year column is always about self-improvement, as the turning of the calendar is a great time for reflection and introspection. I have plenty to improve on and I plan to do just that in the months and years to come. But I need to know that everyone else out there is trying also to get their act together. I mean why don’t people use their car’s turn signals anymore? And why don’t the police enforce it? If you don’t use them on your driver’s test, it is doubtful you will pass. But the minute there is a license in your wallet, suddenly your car is out of blinker juice? And for those of you who are at the head of the line at a stop light, please don’t see this as an opportunity to get on your cell phone and text someone. If you are first in line, think of it as the person on a plane sitting next to the emergency exit. You have a responsibility and that is to get your car moving when the light turns green.
Then there is the health care situation in this country. We need everyone to get onboard with some type of national healthcare program. Stop your political swagger and think of it as a human right and not some sort of privilege. The Affordable Care Act is not affordable for many unless they get government subsidies. And now those are going away. Obamacare was rushed through because there was little time and no bipartisan support. This is what happens when our government is broken and divided and in panic mode. The Affordable Care Act did provide healthcare for many who never had it before, and it put an end to the preexisting conditions fiasco. But insurance companies still benefited greatly from Obamacare, and it really became just another insurance clearinghouse. We should demand that both parties get in a room and figure this out. But like politicians, we have become tribal, too. Even if it means losing our healthcare and paying more for everything. Many people still stick by their party leaders. We need independent thinkers, innovators, creators and people to live outside the political box. If you want to improve something in the new year, improve the way you think about those who are making the decisions for you. Shake off the labels, break from your tribe and do something for you and your family. Be an independent thinker. If it feels wrong, it probably is.
There is plenty to improve on in the new year. But let’s not lose sight of the fact that we are inherently good people. We know right from wrong and we can identify those who break the laws. It is important to learn how to forgive. But don’t forget.
We see much pain and anguish in the world, but we just keep going. It is up to us to create our own life experience. Only we can clean up the environment, put good people into office, raise healthy and caring families, and stand up against the unjust.
First, take responsibility for yourself. Do not cast the first stone. Look in the mirror and ask, are you the best person you can be? Then get busy making this a better world, one random act of kindness at a time.