While 2011 has been a hard year the world around, it’s not all been terrible. Here’s a few things to consider as we begin this brave new journey through 2012:

10 Good Things About a Not So Bad Year
http://www.alternet.org/occupywallst/153577/10_good_things_about_a_not_so_bad_year?page=entire

2011, for all its flaws, was a year of people power. From Tahrir Square to Wisconsin, Iraq to Wall Street, we saw a lot of people wake up and wise up to what was actually going on around them. Which brings us to:

2011 Politics: The Best and Worst
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/bob-burnett/2011-politics-the-best-an_b_1176154.html?ref=occupy-wall-street

It brings us to some of the backlash. Okay, it’s not all been backlash; some of it was the cause for the popular uprising. There has been a war against the people, one both baffling and repugnant. The fact that we saw things like the Occupy movement spring forth offers a fresh dose of hope for this new year. We’re going to need it, because:

2012: The Year of Counter-Revolution?
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/leon-t-hadar/2012-the-year-of-counterr_b_1176503.html

Let’s face it – 2012 is going to be a year for wary caution. The powerful resent having their power base stripped and will lash out as possible, while others less than altruistically will try to fill power vacuums for their own self-serving purposes. That doesn’t mean give up and lose hope, though – it just means that we should be realistic as we continue trying to affect change this year. We already know that people power can work – we just need to keep making it work for us. It will be hard, but if we can make it through, well… it’ll be pretty darn well worth it!

So have a nibble at that, and otherwise – welcome to 2012!

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