Dear 2024

So, here we are again, another year in the books (they still allow books, right?) and I’m here to beseech the as yet unborn year to be gentle with us. I know we have a presidential election scheduled for later in your reign, but let’s try not to make it our last, okay, let 2028 have something to look forward to. The current year, your predecessor, didn’t listen to my pleas of last year as it was being ushered in, so I’m hoping you, 2024, will be a bit more attentive. Strive to be the soft cuddly lapdog who only wants its belly stroked and not the viscous pit bull foaming at the mouth in belligerent rage. Can you be a kind year, gently nudging us towards tolerance, peace and love and not one that brings us ever closer to the doomsday clock’s final stroke of midnight? Can you please allow the advances in artificial intelligence to elevate the levels of human intelligence and allow us to see the true beauty and promise of our shared world. Come on 2024, be that guy, the guy with charisma, the guy with understanding and the ability to emote, the guy who gets things done. We have so much to do, so much we need to do, be the one that at least starts it. See you soon.