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Jewish World Review December 31, 2012/ 18 Teves 5773 More years change, more they stay same By Mitch Albom
The president was re-elected. We argued over the outcome. Obamacare became law. We argued over the cost. Three states voted in gay marriage. We argued over the future. A young man shot up a theater. We argued over guns. A young man shot up a school. We argued over guns. A neighborhood watcher shot an unarmed teenager. We argued over guns. A football coach was convicted of abusing children. We pointed fingers. A bicyclist was accused of cheating. We pointed fingers.
And we acted as if it truly mattered. "The Avengers" outsold every movie. Critics called it cartoonish. "Fifty Shades of Grey" outsold every book. Critics called it filthy. "Here Comes Honey Boo Boo" outbuzzed every TV show. Critics called it garbage.
Each was immortalized -- for about a week. Actors had sex scandals; it made them more popular. A general had a sex scandal; it ruined his career. The The Windows 7 begat Windows 8. The iPhone 4 begat the iPhone 5. The iPad begat the iPad Mini.
And it wasn't. An Arab nation fell into civil unrest. An Israeli-Palestinian conflict erupted. The war in All three were true the year before as well. An earthquake hit An earthquake hit A hurricane hit the And more people died in Olympic records were broken. Weather records were broken. Cost of gas records were broken. A man dove 23 miles through the sky. A man dove 36,000 feet underwater. The end of the world was predicted. The end of the world did not happen. When all was said and done, 2012 was completely different from years before it, yet very much the same, because the same principles hold true year after year: news stories come, news stories go, nothing is as great as it sounds, nothing is as bad, technology is replaced by more technology, celebrities replace previous celebrities. The only thing that truly affects your year is how you lived within your own house, how you treated and were treated by your loved ones, and how you helped the people and community around you. Judged by that, how was your 2012?
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Arnold Ahlert | |||||||||||
