‘Tis the season for caroling and mistletoe, decorations and gingerbread, and of course, it all wouldn’t be complete without a very special visit from jolly, old St. Nicholas himself! And as much as I’m a fan of getting wrapped up in both the spirits of giving and receiving, I’ve also got to admit that just as much as I love unwrapping that new Lego set on Christmas morning (because inside, part of me is still ten years old!), I’ve also found the holidays to be a great time for reflection back on the previous year, everything that’s been accomplished and everything that could’ve been accomplished had you done A instead of B, and so forth. With New Years right around the corner and resolutions no doubt in the back of everyone’s minds as we sneak just one more of Mom’s world-reknowned Christmas cookies, what better time for reviewing the last year of your life over a nice glass of eggnog while chestnuts roast on that nearby open fire?
So with that in mind, I thought it might be interesting this week to do something a little different with this column and instead of pick on one specific thing to analyze and tear apart, I would take a step back and run through some of my top concerns that come to mind as things that I’d like to see happen in 2008 because they certainly never took place in 2007! Of course, the chances of any of them actually happening are slim to none at best because not nearly enough people in this world think like me, but then again, what would I have to write about if all of a sudden things started going my way?!
Believe me, I’d find something, but nonetheless, here’s what I came up with – call it my Against the Grain Christmas List of sorts. It’s wordy, it’s entirely too political for this otherwise glorious time of year, and most of the people who do actually agree with me on a regular basis will probably also agree that it’s all common sense, but I do hope you enjoy it nonetheless. Happy holidays…
In 2008 I’d like…
…To Find A Company Who Still Believes in the Value of Customer Service
I’m so tired of interacting with companies whose only service is taking money from me without any regard for courtesy or decency. When I make a purchase, I want to know that the company genuinely appreciates my business, not just be fed the line with forced or fake enthusiasm in between complaints about how horrible fellow employees are treated. It’s a task that must be seriously addressed at both ends of any organization, though – not only must those at the top have respect for those beneath them, but those on the bottom rungs must still give a crap about their jobs. I think pride in not only an individual’s work, but also in the perception of the business as a whole is vital towards reviving the customer service experience.
…The Powers That Be to Admit They Were Wrong About Iraq and Just End It Already
Everybody makes mistakes and while some will always argue that they’re doing the right thing while thousands die in the trenches, a bigger man knows when to cut his losses and move on, and that’s exactly what needs to happen with Iraq. There’s been no progress, money is being wasted, people are dying whether they’re directly involved with the war or not, morale back home is sinking lower and lower, our own country is in shambles – the list just goes on and on, and at the end of the day, eventually somebody is going to have to realize that democracy isn’t something that can just be installed by force. If they don’t want it, they don’t want it and to keep trying to force a square peg into a round hole is futile. Just because it works for us doesn’t mean that it’s for everybody, so let’s just turn the page and move on.
…To See the Financial Enthusiasm Wasted on Iraq Dedicated to Rebuilding AMERICA
Hundreds of billions (with a B) of dollars have been spent on the war in Iraq, while we still have homeless people on the streets, sick people in our hospitals, and kids who can’t read in our schools throughout the country. For the reasons previously listed, it’s time to focus within and truly show the rest of the world what makes the United States the greatest country in the world. It’s not how free we claim to be or how big our army is, but how much we care about our own people. It isn’t greed to help your neighbor before helping your neighbor’s neighbor’s neighbor – it’s self preservation and it’s time Congress realized that there are far too many problems at home to continue wasting money fighting a war that will never end. Let’s save some American lives so that they can help teach their sons and daughters how to read instead of sacrificing them for a group of people whose only American interest is the oil beneath their feet.
…All of the Politicians to Take the Next Year Off!
You know what? While we’re on a roll, let’s just do it already! I’ve always thought that we’d be better off without all of the bureaucracy, so let’s take a year without them and give it a try. What’s the worst that could happen – our own internal infrastructures could fall to pieces while we focus on surrealistic goals thousands of miles away?! Oh, wait! If we’re wrong and the country is in shambles by this time next year, then so be it, but just the possibilities that stem from a nation without all of the red tape and lies and constant bullshit sounds too good for us not to try flying without a pilot at least once for the history books!
…The Writer’s Strike to End Sooner Rather Than Later
And that’s with the studios actually doing the right thing and correcting the compensations that they pay writers for their creative efforts, mind you. While the strike doesn’t really affect us writers outside of Hollywood, it’s still hard not to feel for someone who’s only getting paid pennies on the dollar while executives are getting rich as it is, then only to be told that certain “promotional viewings” such as Internet downloads aren’t even worth being paid for at all. To think that so many struggling writers aren’t earning paychecks at all during the holidays is kind of scary, so the best we can hope for is that they get what they deserve when all is said and done.
…To See Gay Marriage Adopted at a Federal Level to End the Bigotry Once and For All
I’m not gay, and yet it still really bothers me that this segment of the population who hasn’t actually done anything wrong could not only be targeted with so much hate from other people, but also from our own government by not allowing them the same right to exercise the ultimate expression of love is an embarassing travesty to our country and I think far too much time has been wasted because there’s simply no intelligent argument to be made against gay marriage. It might make some people uncomfortable and some find it against their own personal beliefs, but if they really knew what some of us “normal people” did in the privacy of our own homes, their bibles would probably explode! This just seems like a no brainer to me…
…The Christian Faith to Stop Thinking That It’s Better Than Everybody Else
And I know, this certainly doesn’t apply to every single person who calls themselves a Christian, but at least to the vocal majority – enough already! I’m happy that you found Jesus and all, and that now your life is complete because you have the Lord on your side, and that you just know that your family will be spending eternity in heaven, but how quickly do you forget that your bible has a little something to say about passing judgement on others, too? It’s not your place to say that the rest of us will burn in hell because we don’t believe in God or because we practice alternative lifestyles or because we believe that women have the right to choose whether they give birth, and frankly, I actually think that an awful lot of other Christians would also appreciate it if you would stop giving their beliefs such a bad name! We’ll all find out who was right and who was wrong in the end, but in the meantime stop being such jerks to everyone else around you and start living up to your faith for a change…
…To See More People Start Taking Global Warming Seriously
The big hang up that I’m currently seeing is the almighty dollar because my experience has been that although a few of us have jumped on the bandwagons for compact fluorescent lightbulbs and energy-efficient appliances and even something as simple as recycling, most people still won’t go out of their way unless they can save money now (i.e. 60-cent incandescent lightbulb vs. $3 compact fluorescent lightbulb). Innovation can be expensive, but sometimes doing what’s right will cost a bit more than what’s easiest – just ask anyone who’s installed solar panels on their home and now sends the power company a bill for their excess energy! Denying that global warming even exists is no longer an option for those of us who want to leave a world for our grandchildren to enjoy…
…To See Everyone Adopt The Golden Rule +1
And in an effort to wrap things up on a slightly-less political stance, my final hope/wish/desire for the new year is for us all to take that mantra that we learned in the second grade and build on it. To “treat others as you would like to be treated” is a good start, but how about “to treat others better than you would like to be treated”? If each of us, myself certainly included, smiled a little bit more and yelled a little less, held the door for more strangers and tried harder not to cut people off in our cars, reminded our friends and family how much we care and let bygones be bygones, just think of how much more pleasant the world could be! Sure, it wouldn’t solve all of our problems, but we’ve gotta start somewhere and out of this entire list, I thought it was only fair to throw at least one idea out there that was somewhat attainable!
Smile, buy an energy-efficient lightbulb, prevent World War 3 – looks like 2008 is going to be a busy year…
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