Sir, – My heart fell when I started to read Fintan O’Toole’s piece on the front page of the “2012 Review” (December 29th). Reading through the article, the “terribleness” of the year seemed to be based on the economy, the banks and how much money the Ministers and bank heads are earning.
For my own part, it would be great to think that people in 2013 would start looking away from the tired perspective of money. As individuals there will always be people richer than us, and less well-off than us. There will always be money that is earned legitimately and money that is acquired questionably.
Perhaps we are already starting to do this and the “reluctance to protest” is an indication of finding a contentment that does not have a financial value.
Being able to be content with what we have today, right here, right now, is a life skill that incurs no cost and can enrich our perspective infinitely.
It would be interesting to find out how people thought after the second World War, when economies were destroyed, people had lost their families and whole societies had been devastated. I wonder if they started the year with a “What’s another (terrible) year” retrospective, or looked forward to a future that held contentment, and above all peace. – Yours, etc,
