Happy New Year 2026

Does anybody really know what time it is?

In my foggy old mind, I've been trying to think what to say for the beginning of another year, how to sum up my thoughts and feelings at this turn in the road. Once again, I have been surprised to find that I already said all that as well I as could ever do. So with a few changes, I'm reprinting last year's post, for whatever it's worth.

The quiet days at the end of the year have always been a time of retreat and reflection for me.  This past year, a dark new era has begun, and the old certainties have gone out the window -- no one can be sure what will come next.  

The world has been in a parlous state all my adult life, what with wars and rumors of wars, crisis upon crisis, rebellion here, revolt there, and no end of foolishness among the peoples and leaders of the world.  And yet, at some points there has been greater hope for the future than seems apparent just now.

Somehow, I have lived through many years of light and shadow, joys and sorrows, ups and downs, to be a very old man.  And I have learned that nothing is guaranteed but change.  The currents of human affairs are always shifting, now quickly, now slowly, like the winds and the waves; the pendulum is always swinging to and fro.  

Human nature does not change; if it did, we would have become a different kind of critter long ago.  But the world around us is always in flux.  Moderation and balance, the middle way, is the best course to follow, but fools young and old are always chasing after something "new and different" - which soon enough they despise as "that old stuff."  So the old lessons must be learned anew by every generation.

Human life is a mixed bag, a game of skill and chance - win, lose, or draw, you have to play the hand you are dealt, and do the best you can.  Have fun, but don't be a prick.  Be honest, fair, and kind to everyone.  Do your part, don't leave a mess, and mind your own damn business.

That's it.  That's the wisdom of the world, in a nutshell.  Take it or leave it.  There are other, spiritual truths worth knowing as well, but you'll have to find those on your own.  (But beware of fakers and fanatics, who are legion.)

When I was a kid, I used to think it would be a fine thing one day to be old and wise.  Well, in a way it is somewhat satisfying to finally have seen through the world and all its illusions - to see things and people as they really are, not just what you imagine them to be.  

But at this late age, it doesn't do you much good.  Your body and your finances (unless you are exceptionally lucky) don't allow you to do much with all that wisdom.  And nobody wants to hear what an old man has to say.  So you just keep it to yourself, mainly, while you contemplate the view from the top of the mountain.

When you have lived into old age, you can feel the rhythm of time passing:  a river always flowing, a cycle of stars always revolving above our heads and the earth rotating under our feet.  Generations come and go; empires rise and fall; war alternates with peace; wisdom and folly, love and hate, poverty and plenty, life and death - the wheel keeps on turning, endlessly, regardless of our petty wants and wishes here on this little rock in the vast depth of the cosmos.  

A rather frightening picture, if we are not in tune with the Love that moves the sun and other stars, as Dante put it.  And that Love is closer than breathing, nearer than hands and feet - if you are willing to believe. And I do.

We can't be sure what 2026 holds in store for us; but no matter what comes or goes, we can each be true to the goodness within us, and do small things with great love - with gratitude for all the good things we have.  So here's wishing all my truckbuddies health, happiness, and peace in the New Year.  God bless you all.

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