Beyond Differences: Resolutions for a Hopeful World

A new year means a fresh start. And wow, do we need that fresh start! Nobody can deny that we have left this planet in a state. For a long time, we have been calling out for change, and now is the time that we take action and do something about it.

In a world where animal extinction rates are up 1,000 times of what they used to be, 1 in 11 people face hunger, and 250 million children live with minimal or no education, this world has a lot to work on, and it may seem unlikely that it will all change in one year. But 2026 is a number filled with hope; hope of the people, for a better future. So, an old tradition is called to mind: one that the people of earth need to follow if they want 2026 to be better than 2025, one step at a time.

Resolution #1: “All for One” - Focus on the little problems people face every day, rather than what regions face as a whole. Come up with fundable, small-scale solutions for these problems. Each person counts in making the world a better place to live and love in. Examples; charities, community service projects, company scale beach cleanups, school to school donations. 

Resolution #2: ”It’s a Give and Take” - keep a check of environmental damage, and accordingly take action to each issue. It doesn’t need to be at the same size, but there should be some work towards progress. Examples; fishing accidents > ocean trash pickups. Deforestation > reservation centre expansion and diversifying. Air pollution > openings of recycling companies.

Resolution #3: “Talk instead of Tussle” - conflicts are a part of everybody’s daily life. They’re important, and they help us grow and change. But we, as a planet, need to stop looking at each other through glass windows, waiting for a crack. We have the amazing talent of communication, so instead of sticking in conflicts, let’s move on from cold shoulders, clashes, and weapons to talking things out peacefully across tables where everybody has a seat, rather than across battlefields, with open hearts and minds. Along with all of these issues and disagreements, we live on this planet, and it’s time we find a way to make it work, past all of our differences. Because this is the only home we have, and we need to work together and fix it.

Let’s close this with a simple reminder: let’s do this like it is: like we all live in the same world. Egypt or Ecuador, Ukraine or USA, look at us as people, living on the same planet, not groups divided by borders on handmade maps. We all exist on the same big, beautiful, blue-and-green planet, and let’s all work together to keep it that way. Let’s do it together, and continue living in reality rather than the false blacks and whites we make in our heads.