by Xavier Kataquapit
www.underthenorthernsky.com
Here we are in a new year and hoping that 2025 will be a positive experience for all of us as individuals and for our civilization on planet earth. If I did a full review of how things went over the past year it just might be a little depressing but it is good to face reality.
Life continues to be difficult for Indigenous people living in remote First Nations and although in general it is getting better with important things like employment, education and respect and support from some governments, it is still a challenge for many.
There are still problems with water quality, housing needs, the cost of food, easy access to health care and it might not get better with the possibility of more right wing governments gaining power that are not Indigenous friendly.
Over the past year my family and friends have been experiencing health problems mostly with seniors and the very young. There has been a surge in flu and Covid as well and this continues to affect many people. My partner struggles every day with a lung disease yet he puts on a brave face and continues to be supportive of many people. I hope that 2025 will find all of us in a more healthy state and coping with all the challenges that poor health brings.
I like to keep a positive look on the future but I have to admit it is concerning that we have two major wars going on that have taken many thousands of lives and destroyed cities and villages. How can we call ourselves civilized with wars going on and conflict happening all over the world? I hope that our leaders and those who are the warmongers come to their senses and move towards ending these conflicts and making our world more peaceful. Right now we are way too close to experiencing some kind of nuclear nightmare either by force or accident and that would make 2025 a very sad year. I want to say something reassuring to encourage myself and others, however it looks like much of the world is moving to right wing anti-democratic movements and that is a concern. All we can do is to stand up to war, hate, racism, bigotry and oppression every chance we get and if we don’t then the next generation will be very disappointed that we did not.
Climate change is a huge problem facing us all and we can see proof of that right in our own areas where the weather is all over the place, glaciers are melting, fires are becoming more frequent all over the world and huge storms are causing loss of life and property all over the planet. Even with all the evidence there are still people who are in denial of the human causes of this problem. This is another case where we as individuals can educate ourselves and take a stand to push governments and industry to take actions to cut back on emissions that are accelerating climate change. Indigenous Elders have been warning us for many years of the dangers of putting profit and money above all else including the care and love for our Mother Earth and one another.
I hope and pray that we all land on our feet with this new year of 2025 and realize that we can still do much to make changes that will push back on the war mongers, those spreading hate and racism and continuing to hurt our Mother Earth. We have thatresponsibility and 2025 can be the year that we really understand that we have a voice and that we believe in democracy and goodwill to one another. We have time but time is slipping away.
One of the biggest problems that keeps us from acting on these important global issues has to do with alcoholism and drug addictions. I am very grateful for my sobriety for more than two decades now and I have many people to thank for helping me along this journey. Still, I am fearful and on guard all the time to keep on a good trail and not fall into relapse. My sobriety has helped me on many levels and I encourage anyone who thinks they might have a problem with any addiction to reach out for help. If you need help, reach out to your local mental health care or health care organization in your area. There are many Indigenous and non-Indigenous health care organizations who have developed services to help those with addictions and if they can not provide the assistance, then they will guide you to someone who can. You can also do a search online with the Alcoholics Anonymous website at www.aa.org to find services, organizations, groups or individuals in your area that can help.
Hopefully, 2025 is going to be a year of positive change for us and of course it starts with me and you.
