The people who create innovations, jobs, culture and art of all forms have a choice about where and how they do these things. And over and over, they choose to do it in a society that’s civilized, surrounded by people who provide them both safety and encouragement. I’m having trouble thinking of a nation (or even a city) that failed because it invested too much in taking care of its people and in creating an educated, civil society.

These words come from the widely read Seth Godin, Internet sage and all around writer of thought-provoking topics. As we roll into a new year, I leave you with these words and question how we go about changing our assorted countries to allot more resources into safety. I’m not talking about the kind of safety the six ‘o clock news likes to bombard us with at every turn and headline. I’m talking about a safe environment for new technologies that don’t harm our planet and optimally, they preserve it. I’m talking about a safety that envelopes the learning experience with the caressing of a curious mind, not just learning for revenue’s sake. I am talking about the type of safety that is so deeply entrenched in a society that it regards preventative maintenance as a long-term investment in each individual for the betterment of humankind.

We need to break out of our national borders, our political party lines, and our individual faiths. We must see humanity as a large conversation in which all of us must be involved and engaged, not just those we elect or those who take power from us. Not just the 1%. Make history in 2013.

Speak up. Be heard. Make it safe for all of us.

Read more: Civilization