What I wish for this world has most to do with self-determination.

A bumblebee resplendent in a yellow tuxedo delicately sips nectar. The ocean shares its rolling waves with beaches around the world. A high-tech spacecraft in the sky squints down at a populace striving to keep breathing and keep smiling. Cultures, traditions and beliefs sometimes clash but for the most part the wishes I have for this world embrace a common denominator?the pursuit of happiness. It’s my nectar. And it is oh so sweet.

 

Hippie, hippie, wish, wish

 

Not so long ago, peace, love and rock-and-roll in copious amounts were the wishes for this world from those who counted themselves a part of a colorful, new generation. The long-haired hippies of the 1960s set out upon a quest for love that was free love, food that was shared food and shelter that could be humble or high class?as long as it was gratis.

 

Equality in all things was embraced as an aspiration. Dreams of a groovy world were lofty dreams put flowers in the hair and money in the bank rarely found a compatible coexistence. Many men and women who said they’d like to give the world a hug found they were hugging the cement, sleeping on the streets and yearning to go home. I was too young to go anywhere but to the neighborhood swimming pool. But I wanted to go?on an adventure.

 

High boots with hard heels

 

Wishes for the world were not always so benevolent. Consider the world’s predicament a scant 20 years before those hippies danced around the May poles that were the street signs at intersections throughout San Francisco. Freedom was not at the top of some people’s wish list during World War II?the big one.

 

Hitler’s wish for this world at that time was that all nations surrender to his boot. Tanks and trucks and airplanes laden with deadly bombs spread fire and fear in all directions. Millions in Nazi Germany fell to genocide and starvation because Hitler and his minions wished it. Since then, other dictators in other lands have arisen to similar, devilish heights.

 

~

 

Wishes for today’s world

 

Today, a wish for the world might relate to the world’s health. The natural order of things seems upset. Global warming is in the news. Is it a natural phenomenon? Is it a freak of our own creation? God and Nature seem to be walking on eggshells.

 

Some say our food supply is in jeopardy. In recent years, reports surfaced of a strange illness that was taking a toll on this country’s population of honeybees. Beekeepers feared the demise of an insect whose life’s work entails pollinating our crops of vegetables, fruits and flowers.

 

But somehow, the bees have bounced back to a great extent. Blamed by scientists for their problems are new viruses that perhaps ran their courses or pesticides to which the bees perhaps built up immunity. Nobody knows for sure what caused bee hives in many states to on occasion collapse but concerned people are now more vigilant than ever. What I wish for this world is a healthy bee with strong reproductive urges.

 

Small wishes, big results

 

Some wishes for the world are lofty and hardly accessible in a normal lifespan. The discovery of alternative fuels that would eliminate dependence on foreign oil is perhaps a dream slowly coming true. However, smaller wishes for those who occupy the world may be instantly achievable. Health, wealth and happiness in small, daily doses may be easier to attain than some massive, global plan constructed of big price tags, red tape and fairy dust.

 

The attainment of what I wish for this world might include innovations in the work place resulting in additional leisure time for employees. The initiation of flexible schedules and increased use of home offices could be a start.

 

Families might reap the reward. An extra day in their weekend might make possible some additional trips to museums or science centers. It might enable a visit to a local farm where the kids could see how vegetables are grown or how cheese is made. Get outside. Get nearer to the earth. That’s a little more of what I wish for this world.

 

What I wish for this world might include establishing stronger links between generations. The elders have stories to tell, games to teach and histories to share. Senior citizens are vibrant, living repositories of knowledge that could be shared with youngsters whose mental slates are thus far almost blank.

 

Peace, love and rock-and-roll in copious amounts might not be a prescription that’s a cure-all for today’s world. However, a healthy dose of self-determination is a medicine that always tastes good. Just like nectar.