Life is a journey and 2020 will for many reasons be ingrained in our collective memory for many years to come. One moment, it was business as usual, and the next moment, the music stopped. It was much like we were on a train speeding forward at breakneck speed, when the brakes were applied, and this enormous train came to an almost complete standstill.

When it happened, most of us thought it would be just a short delay. But as it gradually dawned upon us, that this was not going to be over soon, we went through almost the same stages of grief that people go through after the loss of a loved one, as described so beautifully by the psychiatrist Elisabeth Kübler-Ross. First, when a loved one dies, we go into denial. We tell ourselves that it cannot be true and that it is not possible; but as reality sinks in, we enter the anger stage. We desperately try to identify a scapegoat or someone to blame. Feeling helpless and deeply aware of our humanness, we then enter the bargaining stage. We reach out and try to connect to a higher power, to something bigger than ourselves that may be able to influence the situation or create a different outcome. If that does not happen, we often enter a stage of depression. Life feels meaningless and empty. If we can manage to get through that stage, the final stage is one of acceptance, in which we accept the situation and that it is what it is. Having passed through all the stages, we are then ready to continue our journey.

As this year is drawing to a close, our journey continues. What will 2021 bring? Who can tell? But one thing is certain, we are leaving behind the world we used to know. The train has left the station, our journey is leading us to a place no one has ever been to before, and we are all holding one-way tickets. There is no turning back. We are not just going to another location somewhere on earth. We are going to another world, hidden within our everyday lives. We have entered an era of significant transition. We can expect big shifts in the world, and big changes in our lives. A new world is emerging and each one of us can help to bring it about. The time has come to dream a new kind of world into being, and we can all play a part in that. So, this time around, forget New Year’s resolutions; let’s rather dream into being a whole new world.

Let us create that new world that John Lennon sings about: “Imagine all the people living for today. Imagine there’s no countries, nothing to kill or die for. Imagine living life in peace. No need for greed or hunger. Imagine all the people sharing all the world”.  As we enter the new year, we are also entering a new era in the history of mankind, and we are all fortunate to be part of it. We are meant to be alive now. Let us be guided by the well-known prayer of St Francis of Assisi:

Lord, make me an instrument of Your peace;

Where there is hatred, let me sow love;

Where there is injury, pardon;

Where there is doubt, faith;

Where there is despair, hope;

Where there is darkness, light;

And where there is sadness, joy.

Let us make this our only resolution for the New year, to sow seeds of love. Then watch how that hidden world starts to emerge.

I wish you a festive time filled with love, peace, and gratitude. Thank you for sharing the journey with me in the past year. See you on the other side.

With love and respect.

Your partner in creating new possibilities for your life.

Rudi

“We are drowning in information while starving for wisdom. The world henceforth will be run by synthesizers, people able to put together the right information at the right time, think critically about it, and make important choices wisely.”  

   E.O. Wilson