For many, this holiday season is the worst of times. It is an ancient source of friction that many cannot see this, because they are enveloped in luxury and affluence. So, for some, times may be exactly as they have always hoped. Whatever our circumstance, we all have obligations, above and beyond the trappings of influence and finance, to those most in need. 

In 2025, we saw an unprecedented series of overt actions to reverse, defund, dismantle, and punish initiatives whose purpose was to rescue the most vulnerable. The result is catastrophic; hundreds of thousands have died. There is nothing that can be said of that wave of degradations except that the moral bankruptcy and reckless disregard for life are self-evident, and must be countered by people of conscience. 

Generosity may be the only virtue that truly makes the world more just and sensible, more capable, and so more deeply and usefully honest. Duty is a kind of generosity. So is telling the truth about injustice, and standing with those who need to be defended, healed, and uplifted.

In 2025, despite unlawful efforts to suppress scientific progress, we gathered evidence that our planetary system is less suited to sustaining all that we aspire to than ever before. Inequality is worsening—to the extreme extent that while 70% of Americans say they cannot afford everyday life, record sums are being pushed into new infrastructure for artificial intelligence systems, making record stock market valuations for a few dominant firms and propping up GDP growth, while more and more people feel left behind.

What all of this tells us is: 2026 must, against all odds, be a time for reinventing prosperity, rebuilding trust, establishing deep and ongoing civics for better decision-making, and yes, shifting to less toxic, more ethical and sustainable standards in industry and finance. This is possible. It is the logical next move for any society rooted in a demand for justice, freedom, and the diligent faithful service of future generations.

As I reflected recently:

Nothing is more rational than the determined commitment to strive toward the best outcome within the realm of the possible—the optimum. Optimism is not about belief or faith in good fortune; it is about doing what makes sense, instead of letting the senseless take over. 

Hope works that way. When there is no obvious reason to declare that hardship will fade from experience, because so much is wrong and getting worse, that is when hope starts to move into the world.

We live in a time of light and possibility. We must not let any darkness steer us away from the more generous and humanizing path.