In 2026, something will have to change - HuffPost Italia

BLOGGERS CORNER. As this year ends, I see the brave faces of thousands of boys and girls. I see a way that is not…

In 2026, something will have to change

By Maria Cristina Pisani Last week was the week in which the winter solstice occurred.These are the darkest days of the year, but it's when the light begins to return, promising sunshine and warmth that will peak in a few months.This is the starting point that nature offers us to understand the cyclical nature of life and history, as well as the seasons and generations.And it is in this cyclical nature that together we journeyed through 2025, landing our ships on various shores, in search of targets new and old, allies past and future.

I am sure that in these hours each of us looks at the year in his own way: looking back, rediscovering the most important moments of these months, smiling at the goals achieved, at the renewed commitment, at the shared love, at the suffering of what we have lost, what we have given up or postponed because of New Year's resolutions.

Interruptions, in general, when we get into the hectic flow of everyday life, make us think, think about everything that passes us by or avoid facing it, but these days invite us to stop, look with gratitude at the way we have traveled and at the same time prepare with renewed energy for the part of the road that awaits us.Because, like any journey, we need stops, not arrival points: there is always a new horizon.

“I'm in distress, locked in Gulliver, but now we can all agree that's normal.This is Diodate's song, he is the one in the chorus who shouts "come save me, come save us", perhaps hoping that someone will present his request in the midst of the collapse of all past security and with these words explain the situation of "healing" that many of us have found, especially in recent years.But in one of his recent interviews, he perfectly explained this state of mind "seeing things flowing out of your hands and you can't catch them, you feel like you're behind glass and you can't connect with the world."

For everyone, what we have left is, indeed, an intense year, days that leave us a complex legacy full of challenges, in a very complex historical season, only love can help us face it, to love ourselves and others.Years of conflict, hardship, force us to confront increasingly tense images;Years of economic crises and social emergencies have again provoked, by definition, an atmosphere of instability and uncertainty for the future, but nothing more for our generation: we must move forward by trial and error, the race that the world has become, dragging with us that uncertainty, what we are today, what tomorrow will be, our doubts about future conditions.

Looking back at the last days of this year, I see the brave faces of thousands of boys and girls.I see a journey that is not simple but very intense, despite everything, driven by passion and determination.

This year has taught me personally that leadership means caring: about people, relationships, and the future we are building.It was challenging, but deeply human.Each step was made possible by a community that chooses to keep believing and not back down.

Strength and hope – these are the words that Pope Francis addressed to me during our last private meeting.Two simple, powerful words that I carry with me every day.And that's the hope I want to focus on, because even though it's a very fragile feeling, it has an extraordinary power to move the world.

It is hope that motivates true change and it is hope that invites us to believe because there is no path that is definitely linear, everything is a series of alternative events, especially for new generations, in dark times and happy times, but it is also in that darkness, sometimes, that we learn to recognize the light, regain the ray of warmth.Because no matter what happens in our lives, no matter what difficulties we face, no storms that disrupt our daily habits, we must never forget that the most important thing that each of us does is not for ourselves but for others.

This generation teaches us every day.

Let's hope that in 2026

Dreams come true again until 2026.

Happy New Year to you all.

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