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Best wishes to all our readers and bloggers for 2009, after a hectic 2008 with loads going in the ‘sphere and in politics 2009 looks like being even bigger and better.
Two elections and another referendum, the possibility of a Fianna Fail leader observing the spectacle of his party turning on its own and the engaging problem of cutting resources from front line services in the absence of any semblence of an economic plan.
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Cian,
I can only speak for myself but thanks for the best wishes. I began to contribute to this site in 2008, mainly for fun, but soon found it was a good place to be. Full of people whose thoughts are inspirational, intelligent, incisive; most of whom challenge arguments and approach the issues in a positive and constructive way.
If I have any wish I would want to see shared in 2009, it is that we give the politics of recrimination a rest for a while. As a society, I believe we need to focus on the issues, not demonise those we either deem responsible for the failures of the past or whom we would like to heap the blame on because of our own particular political perspective. That sort of thinking will do us no favours in 2009, which will be a tough year for many of us as individuals as well as for our society as a whole.
I think we will face some big decisions in the course of the coming year:
* Where does Ireland fit in the new Europe, the enlarged Europe of the 21st century? And are we prepared to commit ourselves to all that the Lisbon treaty implies for its future?
* What should our economic and social priorities be? And what do we have to so to secure them? What do we have to accept is outside of our control because of the international climate and events? What can we do to best manage those factors that are within our own immediate control?
* Can we re-learn the virtue of patience? Even a little humility perhaps?
Humility begets compassion, for ourselves as well as others, and in my view anyway there’s been precious little of it about in the Celtic Tiger years.
So I guess my wish for 2009 is to have patience, stay calm in the face of increasing adversity, preserve a sense of humour especially of the self-deprecating kind, and above all, be kind to yourself as well as about others. More than a bit cheesy perhaps, but in that frame of mind. or something close to it, we might collectively look at our problems afresh and begin to tackle them one at a time.