HAPPY NEW YEAR! MANIGONG BAGONG TAON! BONNE ANNEE!
As we step into the next chapter of the 21st century, in the 25th year of the third millennium, this New Year invites a moment of reflection, a unique poignancy that feels more pressing than in years gone by. This time, the idea of New Year’s resolutions seems empty.
While pondering a theme for the year, I found myself listening to an “oldies” station when a timeless song by Dionne Warwick, composed by Burt Bacharach, resonated deeply with me. The refrain from “What the World Needs Now” captures the essence of our collective longing: “is love, sweet love; It’s the only thing that there’s just too little of.” Inspired by this sentiment, I reached out to some thoughtful individuals, inviting them to share their perspectives on what could advance our world and significantly benefit humanity. I urged them to envision not just the immediate future, particularly 2025, but to dream boldly about transformative ideas that may take time to materialize.
It’s essential now more than ever as we face numerous theoretical possibilities with the potential to revolutionize our existence. The last 40 years have seen our world undergo extraordinary changes that transcend natural evolution. While Natural Selection has enhanced our adaptability, the rapid shifts we are witnessing challenge our ability to thrive. Our very survival increasingly hinges on our technological ingenuity rather than our genetic evolution.
Climate change and pollution have outpaced our human ability to adapt, but our intellect gives us a fighting chance to create innovative solutions that can protect us from dangers our biology cannot handle. Despite significant inequalities, we continue to progress—food production rises, medical innovations expand, and our life expectancy continues to improve. It’s clear that what the world truly needs is a holistic enhancement of our living conditions.
As we live longer, we must also ensure a better quality of life. Many intangible elements, like cultural enrichment and spiritual growth, are vital in this pursuit. Yet, as we amplify our presence on this planet, we must confront the grim reality that many are barely surviving. Lives are tragically cut short by unyielding conflicts fueled by extremist ideologies cloaked in religious narratives. Others strive for a legacy by undermining the principles of a rules-based world order.
Our technological advancements come with daunting risks. Nuclear power and, increasingly, artificial intelligence provoke serious debates about how to maximize their benefits while mitigating their dangers. While we have learned to harness nuclear energy to some extent, we have not successfully curbed the spread of nuclear weapons despite the catastrophic consequences we have witnessed. Many leading experts in AI warn that it possesses the potential to not only challenge but overpower humanity itself.
As I craft this message, it is increasingly evident that our focus should be on initiatives that preserve human life and enhance our existence as we enjoy greater longevity. Together, as we work to bridge the divide between rich and poor nations, we reaffirm our shared aspiration—a longing for a peaceful, joyful, and enduring co-existence with all humanity. The world needs our unwavering commitment to this vision now more than ever.
Here now is a cross-section of how a community of diverse backgrounds feels about “WHAT THE WORLD NEEDS NOW.” These essays reflect their narrative in their own words and are shown in the order they were received.
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What the world needs now is the invention of a machine that can share one person’s feelings and emotions with other human beings. The feeling that one gets when told by his doctor that he has cancer from smoking, should be shared with young smokers. The agonizing feeling of a mother when told that her child has been shot and killed in school should be shared with gun advocates. War widows should share excruciating pain with autocratic leaders. The hurt and suffering of the poor and destitute should be felt by irresponsible nation’s leaders and so on and on. Maybe then the world may see a little less suffering.
Jun Navia
Retired Bank Executive
Philippines
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We humans have discovered the most fundamental particles: constituents of atoms, planets, stars, and galaxies. We know very well and greatly appreciate the precious life on Earth and the life and beauty of our wonderful Universe. Modern sciences and technologies enable better food and water supply, medicine and medical cures, healthcare, and better living. We enjoy great music from Beethoven, Puccini, Beatles, Rolling Stones, Michael Jackson, art from Da Vinci, Monet, and many more musicians and artists. We can see and talk with our family and friends almost anywhere, and have almost unlimited information. Life on Planet Earth should be full of love and happiness. Yet we have extremely difficult challenges: energy, climate, health, poverty, dictators, wars. Why? How to achieve sustainable energy, environment, better economy, democracy, peace and prosperity? Who? When? What are love, good or bad, truth? Better education and individual efforts are very important and could greatly help. Governor Ige declared: Clean energy can be as significant for Hawaii’s economy as tourism. Islands and villages worldwide should switch to use clean energies as soon as possible. Lifting one person out of poverty could benefit many. We need to convince many people, companies, groups: with paradigm change, they can have more profits and also help humanity. Even pharaohs, kings, and queens could not take their riches with them when they passed away. What’s the true value of one’s life? We all could have a much better world, and better life. We need more wisdom.
Dr. G.P. Yeh, Physicist
President and Chairman of G P Yeh Foundation
Okinawa Goodwill Ambassador
Taiwan, Okinawa, Chicago
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What the World Needs Now: A Perspective from the Garden
The world, much like a garden, flourishes with care, wilts with neglect, and can always be revived with the right touch. After decades of nurturing Sonya’s Garden as a haven for peace and renewal, I believe the world needs three essential elements: mindfulness, simplicity, and love.
In today’s fast-paced, technology-driven world, mindfulness is not a luxury but a necessity. It invites us to be present, to savor the aroma of flowers, the warmth of sunlight, and the laughter of loved ones. Mindfulness teaches us to listen—not just to others but to ourselves and nature’s rhythms.
Simplicity is equally crucial. Many of us complicate our lives in pursuit of material success, forgetting that true joy often lies in the simplest things: a warm meal with family, the serenity of a garden, or the satisfaction of growing your own food. At Sonya’s Garden, I’ve witnessed people rediscover joy in these basics—eating fresh produce, smelling blooming flowers, or finding peace in stillness.
Finally, we need love. A world filled with more givers than takers would bring us closer to heaven. Love fosters connection, heals wounds, and transforms communities.
If we nurture mindfulness, simplicity, and love as we would a garden, the world can once again thrive in beauty, peace, and harmony. Maybe we should change the lyrics of that famous song.
Sonya Salaverria Garcia
Founder & CEO, Sonya’s Garden Inc.
Philippines
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Empathy…. The ability to walk in someone else’s shoes….
As an animator at the Walt Disney Animation Studios for 31 years, one of the most important “tools of the trade” was anthropomorphism, whereby my colleagues and I endowed many of our non-human characters (from cute cartoon critters to dancing cutlery) with human-like personalities and movements. It was a critical skill that allowed our audiences to empathize with and care about our animated protagonists, and to be invested in their stories. In the real world today, I believe the ability to empathize with those who are different from ourselves is even more important than ever before, both in the domestic political arena, and in the international stage. A little bit of imagination and some sincere effort can enable us all to see a little bit of ourselves in those who may differ from us in a myriad of ways (in politics, nationality, religion, gender, etc.). And maybe we’ll come to realize that down deep, we’re not all that much different after all… Once we learn to empathize with our fellow human beings, as well as all the other wonderful
denizens of our planet, we will all surely be the better for it (and the world will have a lot more love, sweet love!)….
Ruben Aquino, Multi-Award Winning Animator
Walt Disney Studios
Glendale, California, U.S.
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“What the World Needs Now… Is Love Sweet Love”, is a song composed by Burt Bacharach and popularized by Dionne Warwick in 1960. I remember it from then..the meaningful lyrics are now more relevant than ever in our world. Through the power of love, we need to do something more to overcome the problems of poverty, climate change, mental health crisis, war, famine, and so many others. The government of nations need to act. A sense of community made at a local level is hugely beneficial to well-being and can help us take action. As individuals, we need to be united. We have to join hands and work together for the greater good. It requires us to tolerate those with whom we might not always see eye to eye.
Going further, we need to accept people who they are, not who we may want them to be. We can extend our understanding of the turmoil they face so that we can offer the same things to others. A little compassion goes a long way. A shoulder to cry on, and words of comfort – the world certainly needs more of these. The world needs forgiveness, kindness, trust, and hope whenever there is conflict, anger, and resentment. We should review the teachings of wise people and apply them to how we act today. We need to learn to be content. We need to know what it means to be at peace with our life.
Vangie Alcasid, President
Filipino Seniors of Mississauga 2014-2017
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What World Need Now” the phraseology sparked a brief but thought-provoking reflection, leaving me curious and inspired to list some of the world’s most pressing issues.
1. Planet Earth: We’ve only got one Earth, and it’s starting to look like a dump site. Let’s clean up our act before Mother Nature sends us a bill
2. Health Issue: Good healthcare is a human right. Everyone deserves clean water, fresh air and protection from future health crises.
3. Justice and Equality:Justice means no one is judged by race, gender, or wealth. Let’s embrace fairness and ensure equal opportunity for all.
4. Green Planet: We are all part of this beautiful planet, so let’s treat it better. More hiking, fewer plastic bottles. Let’s show the Earth some love.
5. Innovation and Creativity: We need new ideas and fast. Let’s encourage creativity and technological brilliance to resolve problems before we run out of time.
The world needs are vast, but small actions, like recycling, helping or standing up for what’s right can spark change. Let’s make a difference, one step, one smile, one good deed at a time. Change may not happen overnight, but we can start today.
Ding Tesoro
Research Associate (Retired)
University of Toronto
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At a historical global level human life has seen great improvements. Poverty and child mortality rates have significantly decreased while average life span and literacy rates and human rights have very much increased. Now, one of the things that much of the world needs is to embrace and cultivate reason as a guiding principle.
Reason centres on objective logical thinking and if all societies embrace it that means we will be more committed to evidence and science versus things like religious dogma, propaganda and superstition. It encourages people to question, to make decisions based on facts not emotions and outdated traditions that are irrational/immoral.
If political powers and legal systems made reason a higher priority, that would likely yield more effective outcomes, more transparency and less authoritarianism. It would foster more beneficial long-term plans versus limited short-term gains. Maybe even a reduction in crime.
We have complexities all around our planet, within each country, and in each of our own lives. I am optimistic that humanity will continue on our upwards path.
Kelly Bogart, President
Halton-Peel Humanist Community
Ontario, Canada
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The world is in a constant state of preparedness for war. NATO, SEATO, and numerous other alliances exist as defensive or offensive measures against perceived enemies. Clearly, humanity needs a new mindset that allows us to live our lives peacefully. Countless wars have occurred, and even as I write this today, there are ongoing killings in hotspots around the globe.
The United Nations faces significant challenges, as it often appears divided by the diverse political ideologies of its member countries. In this complex landscape, it’s essential that we consider the creation of a “United Citizens of the World,” a grassroots organization that transcends ideological, religious, and personal agendas. This collective effort would focus on fostering unity and understanding among people globally. The vision for such an organization would be to establish shared principles of governance that genuinely address our environmental, economic, and political differences. Imagine a universal, enhanced version of the Canadian Equalization Program designed to help close the gap between the rich and the poor ( provinces ). By working together, we can bridge gender disparities, eliminate harmful ideologies, put an end to religious conflicts, and eradicate hunger. As we strive for this ambitious goal, we can draw inspiration from Bhutan’s Gross National Happiness (GNH) index, using it as a compassionate benchmark for our progress. Together, we can make a meaningful difference in the lives of countless individuals around the world.
To quote John Lennon from his timeless song “IMAGINE”:
“Imagine there’s no countries / It isn’t hard to do / Nothing to kill or die for / And no religion too / No need for greed or hunger / A brotherhood of man / … Imagine all the people sharing all the world.”
“You may say I’m a dreamer, but I’m not the only one. I hope someday you’ll join us and the world will live as one.”
I opened and closed this reflection with a song. Isn’t that a great metaphor for the life we should all aspire to?