Recipe for a Happier, Safer 2016: Care More; Complain Less

BY DIANE DIMOND

There’s no getting around it. Americans have just gone through an (SET ITAL) annus horribilis, (END ITAL) to borrow a phrase from Queen Elizabeth. 2015 has been filled with disturbing news about acts of terrorism and the threat of more, mass shootings, racial unrest and major questions about how our criminal justice system works — or doesn’t.

When you add on what many see as unsettling and contradictory political pronouncements about our future, is it any wonder that we feel frightened, frustrated and without hope? Fear — of homegrown or lone-wolf terrorists, gun violence, policy brutality, racial strife, our children’s futures — has become the new American normal.

How did we get to this point, and will 2016 deliver us a more positive picture?

In the immortal words of baseball legend Yogi Berra, “90 percent of the game is half mental.” That always gets a laugh, but the underlying message is so true. Our collective mindset is immensely important to what happens in the coming year.

The idea that the country is in a perpetual going-to-hell-in-a-hand-basket mode has caused many of us to believe that indeed it is — irreparably so. That is a state of mind that can be changed.

Let’s start by realizing the government cannot — and should not — fix every problem. Politicians and bureaucrats don’t have any sort of magic bullet to make sure racial tensions ease, guns are locked up safely or that every cop on the beat is going to act in a responsible and respectful manner. Simply passing new laws or enacting more regulations won’t ensure that prosecutors don’t abuse their power, defense attorneys don’t tell lies on behalf of their clients, judges make the right call from the bench or corruption in City Hall becomes a thing of the past.

What will change things is a universal shift in public attitude and expectation. We’ve got a collective, shoulder-shrugging case of, “It is what it is,” and we’ve got to shed it. That way of thinking only ensures nothing will change.

Instead of instinctively wondering why no one has come up with a solution to a problem — or looking for others to blame for your troubles — it’s time to ask ourselves what we, as individuals, can do to foster change and enhance our nation as a whole.

Here’s a place to start: Realize that a majority of violent crimes are committed by young, restless, unfocused people. So, if parents and grandparents turn their full attention to raising responsible, compassionate and hardworking children, we all win. If counselors and teachers at schools and universities instill ethics, empathy and critical thinking in their students, the country gets a better crop of next generation citizens.

In addition, by simply being kinder and more attentive to each other, we nurture an atmosphere where someone selling drugs, stalking children or acting in a suspicious manner stands out in our community and gets reported to police. Preach that nothing was ever gained by branding someone who calls 9-11 a “snitch.” Nothing gets done if everyone looks away and thinks it is someone else’s responsibility to act.

In short: We’re all in this together. So, why do we squabble so? When does the realization hit that by continuing today’s racial, class and political isolationism, we’re only insuring more divisiveness, more unrest.

It’s up for debate as to who or what caused the nearly paralyzing schisms we’re enduring — blacks vs. whites, the justice system vs. minorities, rich vs. poor, gun-owners vs. victims of gun violence — but it’s foolish to deny they exist. Was it the constant political feuding in Washington that trickled down to the population? Perhaps it was the media’s relentless barrage of “conflict coverage” prompting us all to see a boogey man around every corner. Maybe it was negligence on our part. As we have exhaustively struggled to survive in a hostile economy, did we miss what was staring us in the face?

The very fabric of America has been unraveling. Too many of us forget to be proud of our birthright as American citizens, choosing, instead, to complain that things aren’t perfect. Only massively tragic events like Sept. 11, 2001, bring us together again — and for far too short a time.

Let’s not wait for the next catastrophe to embrace what’s best for the country instead of ourselves. Let’s start doing it now — as a New Year’s present to us all. Care more; complain less.

Rockland resident Diane Dimond is a syndicated columnist, author, regular guest on TV news programs, and correspondent for Newsweek/Daily Beast. Visit her at www.DianeDimond.net or reach her via email Diane@DianeDimond.net.