Enlightenment

In an interview with Scott Simon on Weekend Edition on NPR, author Ian McEwan commented on his new novel, What We Can Know. McEwan shared that “Life goes on…” His statement made me hope that life in 2026 will go on but in a different way. 2025 was a tough year for millions of people around the world.

Many people make resolutions at the start of a new year. Author Krista Tippett advised us to consider a New Year’s question, rather than a resolution. Author Kate Bowler shared her thoughts: “…which brings me to the question I want to ask this New Year. I don’t want to ask: What should I fix? I want to ask: What kind of life is possible within the limits I actually have?”

My questions for 2026 include: how could enlightenment help us this new year? How can I recognize my limits? I get joy from learning something new, especially when I realize what I don’t know! A well-educated friend advised me that The Enlightenment was controversial. I want to learn more about how that change in thinking helped fuel our American Revolution. Could another period of enlightenment help us in this difficult time in our nation?

In her book, An Unfinished Love Story - A Personal History of the 1960’s, Doris Kearns Goodwin shared how she and her husband, Richard Goodwin, learned to look at the work of President Lyndon Johnson with new perspectives as they compared notes from their professional work. Richard Goodwin worked for President Johnson immediately after he became president in 1963. Doris Kearns Goodwin worked for President Johnson at the end of his term in office and then after his retirement before writing Lyndon Johnson and the American Dream. Richard Goodwin worked behind the scenes in the 1960’s - writing speeches and advising Lyndon Johnson, Eugene McCarthy and Robert Kennedy. Learning about Richard Goodwin’s work helped me to see that we often skim the surface of events or issues and overlook the detail of what is happening. We could benefit from learning to see differently or from another perspective.

I read a quote from Indian author and human rights activist Arundhati Roy, who advises us to look beyond the surface and to examine the system that created the problems we face in our democracy today.

Just before Christmas, I was driving towards the west in late afternoon and the sun was shining behind a filter of thin clouds. A distance away from the sun, I could see light break through the wispy clouds to create a prism effect. I read that this cloud iridescence happens when sun shines through water droplets in thin clouds. It was a beautiful sight and fueled my hope for enlightenment in this new year.

I hope we seek light and then share it with one another.