Message for the new year

The winter holiday season and approaching new year, for me, has always been a time for both looking back and looking forward – a time to reflect on both the challenges of the past year and the blessings for which I’m thankful – and a time to recharge my optimism as I peer into the coming year and envision the opportunities that lie ahead. For those of us who view ourselves as stewards, caretakers and caregivers, such reflection and envisioning extends beyond oneself and personal self-interest. We embrace the reality that we are indeed part of something much greater than our individual selves. We embrace the truth that along with this gift of life on Earth and the rights to enjoy it, come the responsibilities to care for the gift. For me, such sense of responsibility stems from appreciation and respect for the sacrifices made by those who have come before me, and the deep abiding love I have for those who are coming to walk the Earth after my walk is done.
We face many challenges in the days ahead if our generation hopes to leave things better than we found them. We inherited an Earth with many wounds and though many are healing, we’ve managed to inflict some others. Little doubt humans are the most powerful species on the planet – there should also be little doubt that with such great power comes great responsibility. There should also be little doubt that environmental and social justice are inextricably linked. Pope Francis recently offered these thoughts to the world at the Second International Conference on Nutrition attended by 190 countries: “God always forgives, but the earth does not.” “Take care of the earth, so it does not respond with destruction.” He urged the world’s population to have “mutual respect, instead of fighting between themselves, damaging and impoverishing the planet.” “Feed the hungry, save life on the planet,” Pope Francis said at the end of his speech which was met with a standing ovation.
So, fellow stewards, as we count our blessings and consider the contributions we will endeavor to make in the coming year, I ask you to see yourselves not only as stewards of this wondrous living landscape which we share, but also as stewards of our shared humanity. Life is much too short to spend it being destructive or downright mean and nasty. We can accomplish much more if we put our heads together to work on our challenges instead of banging our heads together until someone yields. Life may not be fair, but human beings can choose to be. Seeking solutions to the many challenges facing our society necessarily involves some level of compromise and cooperation on issues, but that does not mean you also have to compromise your principles and values. If we would all work a little harder to respect one another, strive to understand each other’s perspectives, be at least civil, if not nice, to each other, we may find more common ground than we ever thought possible, and our challenges may prove less challenging for everyone. That’s where my reflection rests and my envisioning beckons. I have faith in our humanity – I hope it is a faith you will actively share.
Jim Rokosch, President
Bitterrooters For Planning