2010 is the light at the end of the tunnel for many reasons; the economy is showing a rebound in many parts of the world, especially in the U.S. and Asia; Iran is at the cusp of a pro-democracy revolution, and the popular attention to climate change is likely to spread even more widely.

In many ways all 3 developments are wars of attrition: they all test our commitment to adapt and overcome. How we come out of the troubled economic times depends largely on how resourceful, creative and resilient we are. How much success the pro-democracy movement in Iran achieves will depend largely on how people inside and outside of that country will tolerate the current regime. And how far we collectively go in reducing the negative effects of climate change will depend squarely on how effective we each are in making it the primary issue of our time.

All 3 developments impact our lives moving forward. Our quality of life depends on our shared prosperity with others; genuine democracy in Iran has the potential of spreading less extremism and more security for all of us; and a global effort to attend to the environment is key to our survivability as a species.

May the light of 2010 shine brightly. Thank you for reading my posts all these past months. May we find ways to work together and act together, in addition to being kindred in spirit.