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The first version of the French folktale "Stone Soup" was published in 1720. Entitled "Soupe au Caillou," the fable was recorded and modernized by French journalist and author Anne-Marguerite Petit du Noyer. “Stone Soup” existed as a story for many years previous to this first printed edition in rural oral traditions. It is an amazing guide to successful human cohabitation.

I awoke the other night with a start from a dream that shook me to my bones. I dreamt an old friend visited me and asked me to remember him. He needn’t have worried, as he was a man I could never forget. His name was Lee. He was a gay man in a time of isolation and at least 30 years older than me.

In our culture aging is feared, maligned and older folks often marginalized. Consider the thousands of advertisements seen daily on television and social media touting products to reverse or prevent wrinkles, for grey and thinning hair, to reverse or slow down memory loss and a multitude of other illnesses and horrors associated with aging.

While the madness ensues and I am bouncing between tearfulness and anger daily, I decided to stop and take a look at human civilizations over the centuries. This round of authoritarianism, I found, was a replay from so many that came before it. I also ruminated on the chance of it rising again.

This blog post is dedicated to the current state of democracy in the United States as seen through the lens of human well-being. I am unable to remain silent while basic human, constitutional and civil rights are being blatantly disregarded.

As the old year of 2025 wound down and the new one was on the horizon, I imagine many us turned our thoughts to the way we will greet, meet and initiate the upcoming year. Perhaps many also decided to resolve to change a behavior or set a goal using New Year’s Resolutions. Not to be pessimistic, but most resolutions fail, and fail rather quickly.

The holiday season holds the magic of meaning for all of us celebrating holidays around the world in the month of December. Each holiday is held sacred and defined by the culture in which it grew.

As the daylight shortens and leaves fall, we are reminded of the impermanence of our lives. Sharing time with others in this season is warm and comforting. It brings us two elements of human well-being: connection and joy.

The experience of well-being is a desired state for human beings; however, it is often harder to attain than we might hope. The current trauma-inducing state of our world often stands in the way of well-being for countless individuals who endure poverty, suffering, disease, hunger and so many more reasons.