Aphelion Editorial 055

Hello and welcome!

As for my editorial this month... I'm looking out the window at about 5 inches of snow. Not quite usual for my area of the US, but still. Its pretty, not too cold- so it won't last long -and its happened on my days off so I don't have to drive in it. Hurrah!

The first snow of the new century. The first snow of the new millennium. The first snow of this mild winter. The road and my driveway are clear, the fields are gleaming white. Actually, I'm surprised that no one is out building a snowman. At least, no one I can see from here.

And spring is on the way. Its after the solstice, the days are gradually getting longer. The new year's re-birth is on its way. Last night, Jupiter was at its closest for the last few hundred years, and looked big enough and close enough to reach out and grasp. At least to my eyes. The skies are beautiful, the stars clear and sharp. Despite the cold, the night sky is a work of art to the brave skywatcher.

The old year is gone, the new year has come. We have weathered the storm and not been found wanting, so to speak. The Crazy Years are well and truly begun, but people all over the world are awake and alert now. We're not just coasting through life any longer. We're up and looking around, and we don't particularly like what we see.

So we're going to change it, one way or another. Aren't we? We always do, you know. The war on terrorism will continue. Maybe we'll even make our schools safe while we're at it. But we better look to preserving our rights as we get tough on crime and terrorism. Remember not to sign away your freedoms for a little bit of safety. What good would it do any of us to live in a crime-free world if it were also a police state? I doubt that we're actually headed for something like that, but each of us has to be alert so as to stave off even the smallest possibility. Something like that would have to be made manifest gradually, so its up to us to keep it from starting in the first place.

Remember, any individual freedom is also balanced by an equal responsibility. No one can safely ignore the workings of their governments any longer. Get involved. Learn about the issues, make the best choices that you can, vote when you can, write your representatives, write your newspaper's Editorial page... Let your voice be heard. But don't follow some leader- choose for yourself, think for yourself. Only you can live your own life, only you can be trusted with your future, so don't let someone else decide your fate. Get involved.

Take control of your own life. It is yours, after all. Sometimes we tend to forget that little fact. But you should always remember that your life is your own. Even in the coldest and darkest times of our history. This winter will pass soon. Prepare for a beautiful spring.

Thanks for your time.

Dan

THE END

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