There may be a temptation to coast through 2013. After all, we survived the end of the world last month, and if we can get through that, many people would like to believe that we have earned a respite. That do-nothing approach is probably the worst possible option. In truth, we have coasted for too long. 2013 needs to be a year of courage and choices.
Scanning the globe, one can't help concluding that there is a deep-seated desire of people around the world to have more say about their lives.
Whether manifest in the "Arab Spring" or the "pick your color" revolution, this yearning reflects something basic and fundamental about humanity. People are prepared to sacrifice, fight and even die for the right to control their own destinies. Democracy remains their dream.