WORLD SCENE TAKES TURN FOR WORSE

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 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.

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

Unfortunately, the "war on drugs" has turned out to be a 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 such as cocaine and
ecstasy are common in junior and senior high schools. Heroin is having a
resurgence. The dropout rate is appalling. Why should a child stay in
school when he can get rich dealing drugs? This is the message too many
young people are getting.

Guns and knives are standard equipment among teen-agers. It is not uncommon
for a teen-ager 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 15-24. (The first is accidents.) Every 126
minutes, a young person younger than 24 in America will take his or her
life. The rate is worse for the elderly. Every 100 minutes, an older person
will die by suicide.

More bad news is that venereal disease is epidemic, not to mention AIDS,
for which there is no vaccine and no cure, although new drugs are providing
hope.

We are becoming increasingly desensitized to filthy language, garbage "art"
and rotten stuff on television. 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. 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.

Ann Landers