A new year column has the unstated responsibility to strike a note of optimism and renewal. It is a tradition, like a pagan ritual, observing the sacred pause between one year and the next, and making an offering of resolution. Despite all that seems squashing and mind-boggling, there is still some measure of personal freedom to be better and do better as a citizen of the ‘rainbow nation’. It is more challenging this year than previous ones to strike that note. A new year is a time for new beginnings, but those beginnings look dicey.