"Refuse to participate in the fear... choose to participate in the future." - Futurist Jim Carroll
I don't know about you, but if you are like me, you probably have a disquieting sense of unease about 2026.
Things aren't so great out there, are they?
It would seem that as insanity settles in, the quiet tragedy that is dementia is screaming out its impact at full throttle. Anyone who has seen a senior in this situation recognizes the signs of decline and knows how it goes. Not well.
The result is that all over the world, people are anxious, disturbed, worried, and fearful.
I was reading a post by Dolly Parton of all people yesterday - she recently arrived on Substack. Aside from being a brilliant musical artist, she's a philanthropist with stunning business insight. This line in her post drew my attention:
My desire to do a thing is always greater than my fear of it.
That made me think! And then I looked up the essence of the quote, and variations of it show it to be a very common motivational phrase.
That being the case, I turned it around in my mind until I found a version that fits the trying times we find ourselves in today.
Here's the thing: it's an odd time to be thinking about the future when an entire nation seems eager to tear it down.
It's hard to focus on tomorrow when today is simply so weird.
It's tough to align with what's next when what is current is truly terrifying.
And yet, it's one of the most important ways to get through this moment of madness.
May your hope for tomorrow outweigh your fear of where we are right now.
Welcome to 2026.
If Jim Carroll had to pick one word to describe 2026 so far, it would be 'weird.' Or, terrifying. Take your pick.