TIMES ARE TOUGH IN CHANGING WORLD, BUT TOGETHER WE'LL MAKE IT

DEAR READERS: In 1955, the year I began writing this column, I wrote an
essay for Christmas Day. The 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.

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, marijuana and stronger substances, including cocaine and
ecstasy, are commonplace in junior and senior high schools. Heroin is
having a resurgence. The dropout rate is appalling. Why should a kid stay
in school when he can get rich dealing drugs? Guns and knives are standard
equipment among teenagers. It is not uncommon for a teenager to get shot or
stabbed for a jacket or a pair of shoes. Our children are vulnerable even
in their schools and places of worship.

Suicide is the third most frequent cause of death in this country among
teenagers and young adults ages 15 to 24. (The first is accidents.) Every
126 minutes, a young person under 24 in the United States will take his or
her 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 what has happened to everyday decency?

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.