My Christmas Wish List; Serious and Fanciful!

You won't read about any photographic gear or other material possessions on my Christmas wish list this year.  I have about everything I need when it comes to gear.  I have two superb camera systems I regularly use, Fujifilm and Olympus, and all of the lenses and accessories I need to do everything I need to do.  No, my wishes this year lie elsewhere.

First of all, I won't wish for world peace.  It won't happen.  I believe there is a fundamental flaw in the human genome that causes mankind to to treat fellow human beings badly.  Mankind's record, as far back as history has been passed down by word of mouth or by written record, is to treat those who are different or in the minority with disdain, enslaving and even killing them.  Its a domination thing, I think.  Humans have a really bad track record when it comes to treating others well.  Also, humans have and seemingly always will covet what others have and take it by force or even death if necessary.  Look at all of the documented wars over territory over the past 12,000 years.

Think back as far as history records human life as well as what archaeologists have discovered and you will find the same behaviors as we have today.  Suppression of those who are fewer in number, of a different skin color, different religion, wars, murder, theft, maltreatment of those who are from somewhere else, etc.  Nothing has changed.  Almost 3000 years ago Hammurabi had to write a code of conduct because of how humans treated other humans.  No world peace in my lifetime.  I hope maybe in yours.  Maybe future genetic manipulation can engineer out the "mean" genes we possess so we can treat others in accordance with human intelligence and sophistication.  Maybe not.

No, no gear.  I thought I would wish for something a bit more realistic.  Hopefully more realistic. 

I wish for civility to return to our national conversations.  Why are people so hateful?  Why is there so much vitriol?  Why can't we have rational conversations with those with whom we disagree without attacking them and/or trying to destroy them?  That seems to have become the norm.  This is not the same country in which I grew up.  It didn't use to be this way.  In fact, if I heard it once I heard it a thousand times, the quote attributed to Evelyn Beatrice Hall, "I do not agree with what you have to say, but I'll defend to the death your right to say it."  Freedom.  Free speech, even if you disagree with it.  All sides should be heard equally and with due respect.  Now, if someone disagrees with you, they immediately attack you, turn to name calling, try to destroy you, attack your family and even resort to violence.  You only have to read a few comments in any forum or post to see evidence of this.  Or, just listen to the news.

I wish for common courtesy to return.  When was the last time you bought something in a store and the clerk thanked you for spending your money at that establishment?  "Please" and "thank you" have become archaic words, it seems.  Let's teach our children the value of courtesy and bring back those words so they are common once again.

I wish for people to have more respect others.  Not only respect their points of view but others' basic human dignity.

I wish for politicians to return to the philosophy that they have been elected to serve the people and understand the people don't serve them.  I wish they would act in the best interest of all of us instead of their own best interest—mainly do everything they can to get re-elected.  I wish for them to quit taking money from special interests resulting in their votes being either bought or heavily swayed.  Money talks.  Always had, and unfortunately, money often trumps principles.

I wish for people to understand that one finds happiness and satisfaction from within.  It has been true in the past and will never change.  You can't go out and buy all kinds of stuff and think that the act of buying the stuff or the stuff itself will earn you happiness.  No, you have to find happiness from deep within.  If you don't understand that, I feel badly for you.  "Stuff" is a short term satisfier.  Inner happiness lasts a lifetime.

Now for the really important stuff!  ...as he firmly plants tongue in cheek...

I failed in my previous wish to eliminate the words "like" and "awesome" from the English language.  I ranted about that here.  I still wish those two words would disappear and I'll now add to that wish.  However, all of you, like, users of those awesome two words, please keep trying to speak intelligently and maturely.

I'll add another phrase to the above.  How about we stop saying, "Oh Wow!" every time we come across something even moderately interesting.  "Oh wow!"  Look at that pencil.  It is red.  "Oh wow!"  It just started raining.  You get my drift.  Way, way overused.

I also wish that we all would just please, and I'm begging you, stop starting every sentence or question with the word "so."  I not only hear this from everyday folks, but it is now common from professional broadcasters, physicians, engineers, educators and, just about everyone.  Please.  Starting every sentence and/or question with "so" has become so tiresome, tedious, annoying, boring, dull, old hat, ho-hum, laborious, monotonous, tired....must I go on?  Come on.  We're more intelligent and better than that.  Make just a little effort to speak better.  Drop the "So."  Please.

I wish those who write, either professionally or in the public domain, would learn the difference between lose and loose.  A screw is loose.  You lose your keys.  You may have a screw loose if you loose your keys.  Lol.  It really is easy to remember.  Lose has one "O" and loose has two.  Its not complicated.  Drop the extra "O" when you mean something is lost.

Last but not least, I wish for those professional communicators to learn how to properly use the words "fewer" and "less."  One is used with the plural, the other with the singular.  I have fewer dollars.  I have less money.  See how easy that is?  I admit it may just a tad harder than loose and lose, but again, it isn't complicated.  Fewer is used when the subject is plural and less is used when the subject is singular. 

Shucks, one more wish.  I wish each of you find what you are looking for in life, feel fulfilled, find true internal happiness, maintain good health and love and are truly loved by the ones who mean the most to you.  I wish next year is your best year ever.  And... thanks for coming to my blog and finding interest in my thoughts and words.  You couldn't give me a better present this holiday season than that.  Thank you.

That's enough.  Some serious wishes and some frivolous.  All in all, I consider myself blessed in more ways than I ever deserved and I'm a very lucky man to have all of the health, wealth, family and friends that have been bestowed upon me.  I have no real reason to complain about anything.  I certainly don't have any reason to complain about the wonderful photo gear I have.

Happy Holidays and Merry Christmas to each and everyone of you.

Thanks for looking. Enjoy! 

Dennis A. Mook 

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