- by David Beverley-Foster

The future will be brighter than this year was, as the global population accepts policy changes/social changes that are more supportive and compassionate towards all, and as it accepts the responsibilities of climate change.

I genuinely believe that one day soon we'll find it in our hearts to house the homeless and guarantee adequate healthy food for everybody. Universal medicine (pharmacare), and maybe dentistry, is on its way. And as people become continually more aware of mental health, we'll start funding public services better and learn new attitudes of compassion and care. We'll become more like those places where people are proud of their tax contributions, because they help society function and, like, get people health care. We'll become less bitterly selfish, which will be nice in its own right, let alone how that will help impoverished people. We'll learn to see that we live in a world of abundance and plenty, enough for all. How nice that will be.

Soon people like trump who take pride in being a vicious asshole will fade away into historical obscurity, and be seen as the inhumane aberration they are. Along with their policies of 'the rich get richer, and those who struggle should perish'. And their outdated, exclusionary perspectives on gender and sexuality, that for some reason go along with that way of thinking (read up on 'Right-wing authoritarianism' to learn about that personality structure; basically the belief that 'everyone needs to be how /I/ think they should').

We'll get in governments who will undo the privatization of health care we're seeing in Alberta and, to a lesser extent, Ontario. And fix the other public services that are being attacked by conservatives who think we can't afford to help people in need, but who support the whims of billionaires and have their kids in private schools.

Until then, good luck in the new year everyone. It's not easy, in many ways it's become harder lately. This young generation has a lower life expectancy than the last for the first time in modern history. This is due to mental health declines, even as we just begin to understand that dimension of health. People now struggle with housing and getting by like no other time I can see, even though we work longer hours than any other living generation. But the tide is turning, yet again. I care about you! And I believe it'll get better.
~
(ie.: soon the socialists and environmentalists make up a bigger proportion of voters; see map of uk youth who would have unanimously voted for socialism v. uk elders who voted almost entirely conservative)
((note that 'would have voted almost entirely socialist' includes everyone under 50yrs old, the younger half of voters)

David Beverly-Foster is the author of Walking Home, a book he wrote about his love of this community, and part of his journey to be here