New Year’s Day is supposed to inspire feelings of renewal and optimism. For an individual like me, it is a time to reflect upon the 75 laps I have made around the sun.
I find much to be grateful for — good friends, strong family and memorable moments.
I also find reasons to be concerned. In my moments of despair, I take solace in the many companions with whom I have maintained correspondence for decades. These individuals provide insight into world events — they recommend good books to read and they broaden my horizon.
Following the shocking news announcements from Jan. 3, I received an email from a dear Australian friend (hence the British spelling of words). He wrote, “I learnt as a young mine manager with strong capable leaders that I reported to ... that you simply had to come down hard and fast on behaviour that is threatening, bullying and intimidating. If you did not ... it will predictably just get worse, then you have a real fire to extinguish.”
I responded with a simple quote. That quote came from a book that was recommended by a different colleague. The book, “Man’s Search for Meaning,” was written by Viktor Frankl — a Jewish physician who survived three years of horror in multiple Nazi concentration camps during World War II. The line that I shared was, “What is to give light must endure burning.”
So, with that, I will end this public memo with the words, “Happy New Year. May we not lose hope that (given our diligence and oversight) 2026 can be a time of peace, prosperity, renewal and understanding.”
Aaron Breen, Riverton
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