I have not made it a secret that I am far less hopeful for humanity, in general, and America specifically, than when I began this blog fifteen years ago. I have also mused about how the mere fact that I am aging, in the last few decades (at least, hopefully) of my life, might be a factor in that loss of hopefulness. Yet it is also true that when I began this blog, I was already in my early fifties, not necessarily a time of life associated with the bloom of youthful optimism.
All that being said, I include a link to a post that I wrote in 2023 that touched on this topic, while also providing a few links to other posts which were also along the same vein.
https://wurdsfromtheburbs.blogspot.com/2023/08/on-more-positive-note.html
So, optimism. What still provides me with hope for the future?
On a personal level, my wife and I spent a very enjoyable five days with our children and their partners, at our home. We shared fabulous meals (thank you Nora), lots of laughs, and innumerable pleasant experiences. As I have said a few times in various posts, it is truly satisfying and heart warming to get to know our kids as people. And sure, while they will always be our babies, it is very rewarding to see them happy in their lives, but just as importantly, to have developed into good, kind, caring people. Who actually want to spend time with us!
Also, if it matters, and I guess it does if I am mentioning it, activity on my blog increased dramatically this past year. While my stats are minuscule when compared to the most popular influencers of the day, I have accumulated over 300,000 hits since the inception of this blog. Of those, just about 88,000 have occurred this past year with 59,000 in the last six months including a whopping 34,000 in August, my most active month, by far, ever.
To say that it is gratifying, and perhaps even a bit of an ego boost would not be an exaggeration, especially when considering that I have had many months where less than 1000 people accessed my blog yet have now experienced single days with 1500, 1800, even 2000 hits.
The mere fact that I can sit at my desk in Pottstown and have my words read by people in such far flung countries as Azerbaijan, Cyprus, Gabon, Moldova and Tunisia seems as improbable as it does complimentary. In fact, my records show (yes, my numbers OCD strikes again) that I have had "hits" from 127 different countries to date, 20 new sources just this past year.
Of course, I have long since accepted that I may never achieve my personal 15 minutes of fame, let alone be a popular source for commentary, but I am satisfied to think that there are people I have never met, and will never meet, who have read a post or two of mine, not because they know or are related to me, but because they find something interesting, perhaps, dare I say it, inspirational, whether from my opinion pieces or stories.
As I continue to tell people, my current mantra is, global anxiety, which means being aware of the backwards trends that are occurring all around us, but also personal happiness, translated as appreciating the love in one's life, and the good times which come along, or are sought out and realized.
In other words, having the ability to have two thoughts in one's head at once, but not allowing one to dominate the other.
Finally, as I have mentioned multiple times in the past, I continue to read the Smithsonian Magazine which is often a source of positive articles.
The December issue featured two articles that inspired me to think more hopefully of the future, although one was about something that, while is still exists today, was built over 100 years ago.
In 1902 there was a horrific train crash on Manhattan Island which killed 17 people. From that horrible event, a man named William J Wilgus, a self taught engineer at that, would design the Grand Central Terminal, a building that catapulted the transportation industry into the future. His vision eliminated the steam driven trains that polluted the air while creating safety hazards, replacing them with electric trains, in addition to sinking all the train tracks below the surface while creating two levels, one for commuter trains, one for longer distance travel.
His concept was as revolutionary as it was costly. But here, again, he solved it with out of the box thinking by proposing the utilization of the concept known as "air" rights, which stated that whomever owns the soil, owns the air above it. As the railroad company owned all the land already, and since Wilgus's proposed design of underground rail lines included being covered with heavily reinforced girders and pavement, the resulting real estate above the structure could be leased to developers, reaping millions of dollars, in perpetuity.
Wilgus not only solved the challenge of completely re-imagining urban train travel, he solved the even more difficult question of funding.
So why does this inspire hope for the future? Because perhaps such grand ideas, which can occur at any time, anywhere are lurking in the ether, just awaiting to occur. Some soon to be "flash of light" as Wilgus described the genesis of his idea. An inspiration that will help us address climate change, or poverty, or income inequality, or any of the myriad problems that we face, personally, nationally, globally.
The other December article described the efforts being made to save and help regenerate kelp forests. I know, kelp isn't very sexy. Not like saving whales or leopards, or even the rain forests. But if you were to read the article, "The Kelp Comeback", you will understand that our neglect of the ocean is as critical an error as our profit driven attacks on land.
The hope comes from the people, indigenous as well as non-indigenous, who are working tirelessly to restore kelp forests off the coast of California, as well as along other coasts across the globe. The article, like other such excellent reporting on recognizing the importance of respecting the interactions of nature, and the harm we do when we ignore that interconnectedness, also provides possible solutions to problems ranging from the acidification of the oceans to reducing the use of pesticides to grow our food to preserving sea animal diversity from which the next great medicine may be discovered.
All in all, I begin 2026 on a positive note, notwithstanding the obvious threats that are on display every day. Whether this touch of optimism lasts a few days, weeks or months, Happy New Year. I hope you had a memorable holiday these past few weeks, and that 2026 brings happiness and health to you and your families.
