Recycling

The New Year is here. I didn't make any resolutions but I can use the ones from last year. They are still in the box as I didn't use any of them. I have so many things to be thankful for that it doesn't seem right to make plans for new things. There are still the same old plans and dreams and hopes in the box and they too shall be recycled.
What is left are the wishes. I wish for peace for the world. I wish that no child be cold or hungry or in pain. Every parent has these wishes. The world is brimming with parents. Unfortunately the world also has a plethora of leaders. The leader's wishes are quite often different from parent's. The parents of the world want peace. Someday the leaders are going to have to step aside and let them have it. There will still be conflicts and disagreements and tragedy but not on the massive scale that our leaders have led us to.
Wars are the tragedy that must be eliminated. There is a phrase that is used in infantry leader training. It is "Follow Me!". There might be a few less wars if our leaders pursued this policy. They seem to have a policy of "Go do what I tell you and let me know how you make out.".
The only leader that I can think of that subscibed to "Follow Me" was Alexander the Great. Alexander was always at the forefront of all of the fighting. We are sorely lacking in Great leaders. The Alabama Air National Guard doesn't qualify for an example of "Follow Me". One shining example of the hope for humanity sticks in my mind. One day in India, Alexander said "Follow Me" and his men said "Nope" and they all turned around and started home.
So maybe the byword for this year will not be "Follow Me" but will be "Nope". Nope I want to go home and watch my children grow and hold the hand of my wife and live each day to the fullest and anticipate each tommorow. I want to live in peace with my neighbors, watch their children grow, and age slowly without strife. I can live with misfortune, I can live with hard times. I do not want to be the cause of any of them. I do not want dominance but a little Domestic Tranquillity would be nice.
One last thought about getting older. I am thankful that wrinkles don't hurt.