A HOLIDAY WISH FOR PEACE ON EARTH

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.