The future looks bright

As we wrap up another year, I’m reminded of the timeless opening lines of the Charles Dickens classic A Tale of Two Cities. “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness …”

While it may sound trite, few words could sum up the current standing of our nation and our state than these. I’ll spare commenting much on the political outcomes nationally or locally, but will say I’m glad that election season is finally over.

It seemed like you just couldn’t escape the political ads on television, radio, even Twitter and Facebook. The amount of finger pointing, half truths and negativity was draining, and I think it fatigued most people.

Nearly $6 billion was spent on all the recent elections in this country, according to an estimate by the Center for Responsive Politics, a non-partisan group.

Here in Louisiana we have a lot of mountains to climb and challenges to overcome in our education system, health care system, crime and infrastructure, just to name a few of the obvious. With so many problems in front of us, I get asked many times, “Why do I believe the best is yet to come?” The answer is that we in Louisiana and across the United States are a resilient people.

Recently, I finished reading a great book I highly recommend called Abundance: The Future is Better Than You Think, by Peter Diamandis and Steven Kotler.

It is a fascinating book, and in it, the authors use extensive research and data to make a compelling case that our future is indeed bright. They document how progress in robotics, infinite computing, ubiquitous broadband networks, digital manufacturing, nanomaterials and many other growing technologies will enable us to make greater gains in the next two decades than we have in the previous 200 years.

The book is a thrilling antidote to the pessimism so prevalent today.

I’ve also been talking to many business owners, entrepreneurs and young people and am encouraged with what I am hearing. New ideas, fresh perspectives, a desire to make a difference and having faith that the future can and will be better is a common theme among them.

The fact is 2013 and the years to come promise to be no less chaotic than the year that is coming to a close. So don’t just sit on the outside and criticize and complain, get in the middle of things and contribute.

The best is yet to come.

For seven years, we’ve been interviewing former Baton Rougeans about their current cities, careers and interests in an occasional feature called Long Distance. We’re still interested in catching up with those who have moved away, but even more so we want to meet our newest residents and hear what they do, where they go and just how they’ve gotten plugged in to the Red Stick. It’s been amazing meeting so many new people in our city. We’re calling the new feature First Impressions, and you can read the debut edition of this Q&A, featuring an actor who moved his family to Baton Rouge, in this issue.

Much like football is more than a game of Xs and Os, education cannot simply be summed up as 2+2=4. So much more goes into educating a child, from mentorship and critical thinking to instilling a sense of discipline and determination to succeed.

Tricia Broussard is one dynamic local instructor equipping young people with valuable life skills they need to thrive inside the classroom and out. The mother and tutor is a certified Life Skills for the Student teacher who works with children of all education levels focusing on goal-setting (and goal-achieving), organization and self-confidence.

Contributing writer Lauren Brown spoke to Broussard about her methods and passion for changing the lives of young students. Read the story in this issue.

This month we celebrate the creativity of 225 readers with the results of our 2012 Photo Contest. Each year this issue offers a unique view of our city through the eyes and the lenses of you, the readers.

In August, we put a call out for images readers have captured in the past year. These are pictures with subjects that evoke the themes of seven categories: community, dedication, food, journey, joy, struggle and refuge.

Our judges selected winners in each category, an overall winner and a few honorable mentions. See the winning photographs and read the stories behind them in this issue.

225 is excited to partner with Woman’s Hospital on the Gulf region’s first major running event exclusively for women. The inaugural Woman’s Half Marathon and 10K Road Race will be held Dec. 9 and offers runners the unique option of choosing their running distance—even during the event. Runners will have the flexibility to choose the distance that is right for them.

Recognizing that a half marathon is not for everyone, a [225]K fun run has been added to allow as many runners and walkers as possible to participate. To sign up or learn more about this event go to womanshalfmarathon.com.