I’m Still Here

2016 has been a dreadful year for many of us. It seems that everyone has lost an idol: so many stars of the entertainment world have left us with naught but their ghosts on screen and whispered songs on our radios. Many of us have lost someone in real life. Several of my friends have lost a family member this year, some as the culmination of a long illness, some taken suddenly. Their loss has been great either way.

The world has been an ugly place: wars, terrorism, civil unrest, earthquakes, floods. In the UK we had a disappointing result in the Brexit referendum and in the USA, well, Trump. I’m still trying to process that one.

Many of us have had poor health, myself included. There have been times when the prospect of never being well has been too much to bear and my depression has worsened as a result.

But, I’m still here. And this is what I’m taking with me into 2017.

I believe we are all connected. If you hurt one, you hurt all. Science backs me up here. Have a read about quantum entanglement if you don’t believe me. Anyway, we need to get people to understand that being violent, cheating on, belittling, and in any way hurting someone else is to damage yourself or those you care for. This isn’t the same as Karma. Karma says that I am in so much pain in this life because of what I did wrong in a previous life which, to me, is bullshit. I believe we should each take personal responsibility for what we do in THIS life.

If I have hurt any of you reading this, I am truly sorry. I can’t say I’ll never hurt you again, but I will try my hardest not to.

If anyone reading this has hurt me, let’s forget about it. Let’s start 2017 with a clean slate and concentrate on the positive things we can do together to make the world just a tiny bit better.

This coming year I hope to draw more and to write a collection of horror short stories. I also hope that we’ll still all be here this time next year – well, Trump…- and no matter how nasty the world has been that we will have been kind to each other, tried to make something beautiful and tried to be happy.

Happy New Year and may 2017 be better for you all.