Another year has come and gone. World leaders have risen and fallen, technology has rapidly improved, people have been born and people have died. Through it all, the world has kept turning, as it has at the beginning and end of every new year for billions of years. What, really, is the significance of one more? 

As a young person, time can seem to stretch out far longer than our eyes can see. Life is like the flame of a candle inside a room ablaze. Bright, energetic, and seemingly without end. But obviously, it is not so. 

This past Sunday I attended the public memorial of our late, great premier, John Horgan. It was such a beautiful ceremony, full of memories and love for a beloved man. And for me, it underscored lifeB次元官网网址檚 radical uncertainty and the importance of making an impact. 

The truth is, none of us really knows whatB次元官网网址檚 going to happen next. None of us knows what life has in store. 

For you, this might have been a wonderful year, a terrible one, or something in between. You laughed, cried, struggled, excelled. Fell in love, lost interest, felt pure joy and unmitigated sadness. Were proud, were ashamed, had moments of calm and moments of anger. You forged bonds and you lost people. In short, you lived. 

One of the things that stuck with me during Premier HorganB次元官网网址檚 memorial was just how much he lived. In his too-short time on earth, he did so much and made an impression on so many. 

An oft-repeated phrase during the memorial was: B次元官网网址淗e did his level best.B次元官网网址� He took life by the horns, and he took opportunities when they came. He didnB次元官网网址檛 shy away from life, but rather, he embraced it. ThereB次元官网网址檚 something all of us can learn from that.

2024 will soon be consigned, like all its predecessors, to that place behind us, just out of reach and getting farther by the day. Time marches on. The question now becomes how you will march alongside it. 

The next year is a year yet to be lived. An infinite number of things could yet come to pass. There will be joys and triumphs, pains and losses, loves and sorrows. It is a new year to make as you see fit. 

But please remember this: though it may seem like we have all the time in the world, it could all be gone in an instant. Whether youB次元官网网址檙e 16 or 65, we are, to a certain degree, at the mercy of fateB次元官网网址檚 whims. 

We donB次元官网网址檛 know how many more ticks of the clock we have. We donB次元官网网址檛 know how many new years weB次元官网网址檒l see through. We donB次元官网网址檛 know how long our candle will burn. ThatB次元官网网址檚 all the more reason to make every tick-tock, every passing day, every flicker of the flame count. 

Once our candle is out, itB次元官网网址檚 out. What are you going to do before that happens? What do you want to do?

Though his candle went out far too quickly, it was evident that Premier HorganB次元官网网址檚 light brightened so many others throughout his life. Remember him, and take the chance to shine. 

One of the things I found the most inspiring was the emphasis on the importance of making mistakes. Premier Eby said in his remarks that Horgan had let him make mistakes when he worked on his team. And from those mistakes, he learned. 

Indeed, making mistakes is a part of life. We all do it. We will all, throughout our lives, fail, hurt people, hurt ourselves, and come up short. The important thing is figuring out where to go from there. 

As a kid, that can be really hard. Every young person should have someone in their lives who provides not only guidance, but safety B次元官网网址� someone who makes sure that you know that no matter what, your mistakes arenB次元官网网址檛 the end.

When Horgan was in 9th Grade, he had begun to go down a bad path. It was because of a teacher who believed in him that he was able to turn that around. So many of the people in his life talked about the fact that he wasnB次元官网网址檛 afraid to make mistakes B次元官网网址� and when he did, he took ownership of them and learned from them. 

So many youth now are afraid of making mistakes because we see failure as this all-encompassing roadblock, instead of a learning experience. Horgan knew that we were more than our mistakes, and in fact, we are better for them. 

As one of HorganB次元官网网址檚 best friends said in his remarks: B次元官网网址淪ometimes you donB次元官网网址檛 meet the moment.B次元官网网址� And that is very true. What Horgan made clear throughout his life though, is that it matters more where you go from there. 

Dear readers, life is too short to spend in fear. Make memories, not regrets. Go into 2025 with your head held high, knowing that this year will be yours. You may fail in some things, you may hurt, you may cry, but you will live. Some days may be easy, others hard, but they will all be yours. 

Merry Christmas, happy holidays, and a very happy new year.

Gabriel Mackintosh is a student at Royal Bay Secondary School.