It’s not by accident that common symbols for New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day are “Father Time” depicted as an old, white-bearded man and as a fresh-faced, diaper-clad infant. We commemorate the first day of the first month by looking back on times past and looking ahead to times to come—“Auld Lang Syne” and New Year’s resolutions.
This month we also move into a new decade, as calendars flip to reveal 2010. The biggest, initial challenge we’ll face is what to call this new year: “two thousand and ten” or “twenty-ten.” I vote for the latter because it’s shorter and in line with what we have been saying for the bulk of the entire previous century (“nineteen eighty-four” instead of “one thousand, nine hundred and eighty-four”).
The next challenge will be what to call the past decade—the years 2000–2009. Various pundits and bloggers have offered suggestions. If we want to put an adjective with the decade, like we did for the “Roaring Twenties,” I suggest we refer to the previous decade as the “Lost Aughts” (aught = “zero” for much of the English-speaking world). Numerically the previous decade was defined by the number “two” followed by two zeros, or “aughts.” However, politically and economically, the previous ten years have been defined by fruitless wanderings and misdirection. Global terrorism, culminating in the attacks of 9/11/2001 set the tone for this decade. The American response to 9/11 through wars in Iraq and Afghanistan went on to determine much of the history for the past decade. The resulting expense of money, resources and, most importantly, human lives has affected literally millions of people the world over.
In retrospect, we honor the valor and dedication of those who’ve served their countries overseas (U.S. and coalition forces), and we weep for the destruction so many people have personally endured this past decade. Yet, it is hard to claim that we have significantly improved our lot in life, or that of our brothers and sisters in the world, during the past ten years. Yes, progress has been made in medical research, in AIDS prevention, and in raising awareness on issues like global warning, nuclear proliferation, and environmentalism. Yes, a space station is being constructed by a coalition of nations that were once enemies, and a deeper sense of the interconnection of all countries was strengthened through times of adversity (recent financial meltdown) and celebration (Olympics games).
In hindsight, have we taken advantage of the opportunities that were before us in the “Lost Aughts” so that the decade beginning in 2010 is marked by greater peace, health, faith, and justice being present in the world? I do not wish to encourage a spirit of pessimism, but “to whom much is given, even more will be demanded” (Luke 12:48). Must we always compromise our values and faith convictions so that only partial political solutions are found, partial peace marks our international relations, and partial economic justice is meted out to the fortunate few?
I hope we will do better in the decade to come. “For God did not give us a spirit of cowardice, but rather a spirit of power and of love and of self-discipline” (2 Timothy 1:7). May this coming year and fresh decade mark a time of renewed commitment to the ideals of our faith, embodied in the prophetic voice and resurrection power of Jesus Christ, the One who tirelessly works for true peace, justice and mercy for all God’s children.