EDITORIAL - Hope for the best but prepare for the worst

The year 2022 was full of moments and events that we would rather forget or even wish didn’t happen at all. But because time marches forward, we should sweep all those events, incidents, and memories under the rug that was the previous year.

There is really no use reliving the past --except for when we want to be guided on the path to the right future.

Yes the past, although dead, still has its uses. We can refer to previous events to chart our course in many fields like politics, business, and even how we go about our personal lives. So 2022, although a dismal year by anyone’s standards, can still be valuable and should be referred to on occasion.

With that said, there is no reason for us to believe 2023 won’t be better. After all, every new year brings with it new hope that it will be a better one than the previous.

We are all looking forward to new and hopefully better developments here and abroad.

However, our optimism should be tempered by the realization that we should learn to expect the unexpected.

The past three years should have already taught us that our best-laid plans can be unraveled by developments that not even the best prophets, psychics, military pundits, and business gurus ever saw coming.

Who foresaw the pandemic or the war in Ukraine? Who can confidently say nothing will happen in 2023 that will again affect the lives of millions across the world? We never know what the future may bring so we should just be ready for whatever comes our way.

Perhaps the best way to approach 2023 should be with a hopeful heart, but with a mindset to be ready for anything. As cliché as this sounds we should hope for the best but prepare for the worst. That way life will never catch us off-guard.

Have a happy New Year. May this new one be more manageable than the last.