Hope springs eternal in the human breast:
Man never is, but always to be blest.
The soul, uneasy and confined from home,
Rests and expatiates in a life to come.
Alexander Pope (1688-1744)

Translation: people will always be optimistic and think that something better is coming, and with the New Year comes Hope. The proof is in a 34-country Ipsos survey that interviewed over 25,000 adults, with 70 percent saying 2024 will be a better year for them and their country. That’s a five percentage point upswing in optimism from last year’s pole. This is considering that 2023 ended under the cloud of war, and there is looming uncertainty around emerging AI technology. Do we know how AI will impact our livelihood and how many people’s jobs might be in jeopardy? What about record-breaking hot temperatures across Europe and wildfires that devastated communities across North America, especially in Canada? According to 16th-century French astrologer Nostradamus, 2024 will bring more Climate disasters. He says, “The dry earth will grow more parched, and there will be great floods when it is seen.” He also predicts a “Very great famine through pestiferous wave.” Remember, though, Nostradamus was known as “the prophet of doom.” Or, we can remember Alexander, and with the New Year comes eternal Hope.