CHRISTMAS 2001: LET'S HOPE FOR A BETTER FUTURE

By Ann Landers

Dear Readers: In 1955, the year I began writing this column, I wrote
an essay for Christmas Day. Reader response was extremely rewarding,
and I have reprinted it each year, with topical modifications. This
is my Christmas message for 2001:

Today is Christmas. What has happened to peace on Earth, goodwill
toward men? In many parts of the world, there is no peace, and in the
hearts of many, there is very little goodwill. The attacks on the
Pentagon and the World Trade Center are grim reminders that the world
is no longer the safe and sane place we are accustomed to.

Our youth insist that we are poisoning the environment, and they are
right. They resent living in a world they didn't make, and who can
blame them? But what generation ever made the world it had to live in?

Although our universities are once again places of higher learning,
racism still exists on many campuses. And despite the warnings,
college students are still drinking too much, too often, with deadly
results.

Unfortunately, the "war on drugs" has turned out to be a colossal
failure. Most of the crime in our country is drug-related. While
alcohol is still the most abused drug of all, marijuana and stronger
substances, like cocaine and ecstasy, are commonplace in junior and
senior high schools. Heroin is having a resurgence. The dropout rate
is appalling.

Guns and knives are standard equipment among teen-agers. It is not
uncommon for a teen to get shot or stabbed for a jacket or a pair of
shoes. And now our children are vulnerable even in their schools and
places of worship. Metal detectors help some, but not enough. It
seems no place is safe.

Suicide is the third most frequent cause of death in this country
among teen-agers and young adults ages 15 to 24. (The first is
accidents.) Every 126 minutes, a young person under 24 in America
will take his own life. The rate is worse for the elderly. Every 100
minutes, an older person will die by suicide.

We are becoming increasingly desensitized to filthy language, garbage
"art" and rotten stuff on TV. Violence, bigotry and filthy talk must
be tolerated, we are told, because we dare not endanger "freedom of
speech." I am against censorship, but where is the moral outrage
against the filth? What has happened to plain, everyday decency?

Because this is an advice column, I spend the greater part of every
day with grief and trouble. I am admired by some, despised by others,
chastised, castigated and dumped on. Does it depress me? No, it does
not. After 46 years, I still find writing this column immensely
rewarding. I realize that many people who write to me don't want
advice. They just need someone who will listen.

My column has provided me with an opportunity to shine a spotlight on
ignorance and fear, comfort the afflicted and afflict the
comfortable. I am well aware that mine is an enormous responsibility,
and I try hard, 365 days a year, never to let you down.

You, dear readers, are my friends. You invite me into your homes, and
often, we have breakfast together. I want to be there for you when
you need me.

So, if you feel the need to unburden yourself, blow your top,
register a gripe or tell me off, I'm as close as your mailbox or your
computer.

God bless you all. I hope 2002 will be your best year ever.