another new year

well we got to the end of 2006 and find ourselves at the beginning of a 2007. Like many I wonder what will it hold for us - but realise that it is not for us to know the future; we will find out soon enough what is in store for us.

The media is full of doom and gloom at home; we are in for an unprecedented number of bankruptcies based on our greed [surely banks and other financial institutions have a significant role in debt as well]. If commercial drives were not so strong - encouraging us to buy now and pay later then perhaps debt would not be such a problem. On the other hand if we were not borrowing to buy then perhaps the economy might not be as strong as it is and interest rates would have to be higher and we would all be up to our necks in debt ........

Is debt a necessary part of our economy?

It is no use looking back on 'how good' it used to be. We are in the here and now; whilst we do need to understand how we got here and where we might be going we can not return to those halcyon days [were they that good anyway?]. We have to accept that we can only move forwards. We can not change the facts of history, only learn from them. However we do not seem to be able to learn very well.

Even further afield there is not much to cheer us.

Even in this 'enlightened age' we allow people like Saddam to be executed which in turn is likely to fuel unrest rather than quell it. I do not suggest that he was not guilty only question the need for blood letting. What purpose does it serve to execute someone, however heinous the crime - we only reduce ourselves to the same level of barbarism. There should be an alternative.

So let there be some hope for the future, that 2007 is not blighted as have so many years in the past; that we learn to live with each other more peacefully.