We all like to start a new year on a hopeful note. We like to think of all the possibilities of good work but this will not take us far if we stay away from the realities. So let us wish for all the good possibilities, plan and prepare for them, but let us not ignore the grim realities of the world. By any reckoning the year which just ended was distressing and dangerous, and the only consolation can be to be thankful that some of the bigger threats it held out did not blow up into catastrophic situations, a possibility many strategic experts kept warning us of.

The two biggest and most dangerous wars continued right through 2024, although these should and could have ended much earlier. The threat of a nuclear war was stated to be closer for relatively long stretches of time in 2024 than at any other time since the Cuban missile crisis of 1962. This and other big dangers, such as of about 50 other conflicts and of various serious environmental problems as well as increasing inequalities and humanitarian crisis situations, will of course continue in the new year. This is why the world has to be thoughtful about considering where exactly it will find hope.

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One thing is clear. Solutions for these serious problems will emerge only by following the path of peace and disarmament, environmental protection and justice, inclusivity and democracy. While the world’s top leaders and big powers may pay lip service to these ideals, in practice they tend to follow their own narrow agendas guided by economic and military power and dominance, as well as the even narrower interests of influential individuals. The pursuit of this narrow agenda, against the need for seeking justice, peace, democracy and sustainability, is responsible for most of the world’s problems. A significant improvement can be achieved if at the level of ordinary people like all of us, there can be an ever-widening and inspiring campaign for increasing commitment to peace, justice and environment protection in everyday life.

We may not be able to end weapons of mass destruction or ensure a no-war future, but we can do several things in our own lives and in our neighborhood to promote peace and non-violence. Just imagine how life in a single settlement of about 100 families can change if everyone follows the simple message of not causing any harm to anyone, not exploiting anyone, not indulging in any violence, not discriminating on any basis (religion, caste etc.) and not consuming alcohol or any other intoxicant. These may be simple messages, but can bring a big change in the life of any settlement. At an even smaller level, a person may choose to commit herself or himself to these simple ideals.

This will create better human beings, and when many such individual efforts coalesce, it will create a community rooted in peace and justice. This is no less true of commitments to protection of the environment. Of course this requires that efforts be made all the time to spread the base of such commitment and justice, environment protection and peace. Secondly it is also required that people while getting more committed to this path are able to link local changes with national and global changes. Thus while it may become increasingly evident to people that commitment to peace and non-violence leads to better and safer conditions around them, it is important that they also hear about, read about and form a better understanding of global issues like disarmament and efforts to stop and avoid all wars. All this will not take place on its own but will involve the continuing and dedicated efforts of several social movements dedicated to environment protection, peace and justice. These social movements should get the democratic space to be organized in stable ways and to progress with continuity.

These should be able to form linkages. Such social movements should function in non-violent and transparent ways, creating spaces in which people, even those with constraints, can join. Millions of such small efforts, especially those initiated by young people, can take the world on the path to peace and democracy, environment protection and justice, equality and inclusivity. Thus it will be possible for individuals to achieve what the big leaders could not a more equitable and safer world. It is the promotion of such small efforts that can become a source of hope for 2025.

(The writer is Honorary Convener, Campaign to Save Earth Now. His recent books include Protecting Earth for Children, Planet in Peril, Man over Machine and A Day in 2071.)