Christmas is coming to an end for already another year, so I feel we should pause, even for just a few minutes. This time of year, ignoring its deeper religious origins, has always felt (to me) like a collective moment, a moment to reflect on the bonds that hold us together as humans, the simple acts of kindness that spread outward, and the shared hopes we all have/had for a “better tomorrow”. But this year, while we kick back with our loved ones, exchange gifts under decorated plastic trees, and savor the promise of “new years resolutions”, a shadow hovers above us all. It's a shadow that's been cast by recent tragedies and it should remind us all how fragile our unity truly is, and how urgently we have to look after it if we’re going to protect our children and the very earth that we all call home.