Hey SFs!!!

I hope you had a great 2015 and will have an even better 2016!

I’ve got some news for you about the future of the Origami Yoda books, other books, this site and even… the possible return of the TalkZone! But that will be in a separate post.

We’ve had a great year here on OrigamiYoda.com, but in the real world, 2015 was a tough year in a lot of ways.

There has been a lot of hate flying around. And I worry that because of the presidential election, there could be more.

So, if someone tries to get you to hate or fear Muslims, I want you to think about Murky.

If someone tries to tell you that we need a wall to keep out Latinos, think about Sara’s best friend, Rhondella.

When you hear gamers or fanboys saying awful things about girls and women who play video games or love comics, think about Remi.

If (or rather when) a comedian makes a joke about someone with a disability, think about Caroline.

When you hear someone use an awful word like “retard” or “spaz,” think about Dwight.

And when you hear about a young African American kid who gets shot for no particular reason, think about Kellen.

These are just fictional (or semi-fictional) characters, but maybe they can help you remember that there are real people in the world being hurt by hate speech.

But my wish, for you and me and all of us, is that 2016 could be a year where none of the hate gets spoken, commented or tweeted in the first place. But since it will, I wish you all the wisdom of Yoda who again and again turned away from hate and fear.

And if you need a little help remembering to use Yoda’s wisdom, I bet someone could figure out how to fold a little Yoda out of paper that you could carry around with you…