A lot has happened over the last few weeks. A lot of tension in the world, a lot of sadness. That means there is a lot to write about. In past years, I have centered my end of the year columns on topics like the promises I was making to myself for the next year and the problems I was having with deciding on Christmas gifts. I first considered the topic of gun control and the cost that guns put upon our society. Then I came upon a statistic showing that smoking kills 10 times as many people in the United States as guns do, not to mention an additional 3,000 or so that also die each year from second hand smoke.
Freedom to do as we want comes with costs. Regardless of where you stand on either of these issues, it is important to understand what we are really talking about. By outlawing smoking, we would save many more lives than we would by outlawing guns. On the other hand, smoking is something most “victims” do to themselves and, with the exception of those killed by second-hand smoke, surely realize is not good for them. Most people that are killed by guns are killed by another. Maybe that makes the killing by guns worse.
I’m also concerned about the fiscal cliff that looms less than two weeks away. It seems ridiculous to think that our nationally elected leaders would allow such a thing to happen. It appears, as most have predicted, that a deal will be made and the cliff will be averted. Unfortunately, the underlying problems will not be solved. We all know that there is some tough medicine that is going to have to be swallowed by everyone to get our economic ship upright. Maybe this will head us in the right direction and reintroduce our system to the ideal of compromise rather than stonewall.
After giving thought to the above topics, as well as a few others, I have decided that there is really only one thing I want to say in this column. That is simply, “Thank You.” Thank you to everyone that has helped me over the last year. Thank you to every person who has been my friend or even acted like they were my friend.
“Thank You” is something we don’t say enough. It’s easy, but also hard, to say. Why? Sure, there are times when thanks are due to people for whom we don’t care, but what’s our excuse the rest of the time? How many “Thanks you’s” do we owe to people out there? What better time of the year is there than the holiday season for you to catch up on your “Thank You’s?”
One of my New Year’s resolutions is to say “thank you” more often. Not to just friends and family, but also to the random people that help me in my day-to-day life. Think about how hard it would be to live in a world where you never owed anyone thanks. I doubt it could be done. If it could be done, I don’t think you’d want to live there.
Enjoy the last ten days of the year. Reach out and thank those who have helped you over the last year. Decide to live your life being thankful for what you have and spending a little more time helping others. Thank you for taking the time to read my diatribes over the last year. Thank you for everything from way up in the CHEAP SEATS!
Bill James is a co-founder of the James Law Firm with offices in Little Rock, Conway and Fayetteville, Arkansas. His primary area of practice is criminal defense. He can be contacted at Bill@JamesFirm.com