What motivated terrorists to attack Beirut, Paris, Mali, the West Bank, Nigeria, the Russian plane, and other locations last month? I believe that many of them are angry, violent, desperate people who are fighting against something they don’t believe in more than that they are embracing the principles of ISIS. They follow fanatical leaders because they don’t know where else to turn. ISIS is indiscriminate; it kills Muslims as well as Christians and Jews. Violence only begets more violence, so let’s move forward and work on long-term solutions that involve empowering people and creating a world that is not just sustainable but also that regenerates devastated environments, offers all people dignity, and supports life in its many various forms.

In my book The New Confessions of an Economic Hit Man (available for pre-order now), I suggest that when we look at things that happen to us as bearers of a message, we open doors of opportunity for action. The world’s crises, whether they involve climate change, wandering homeless refugees, or acts of terror, are symptoms of a failed global system. It is a system that is based on destroying the very resources that drive the economy. Read my latest blog post for more of my take on Paris and other tragedies.

When I visited Ground Zero after 9/11, it drove me to write Confessions of an Economic Hit Man. I saw that I needed to expose what I knew about an economic and political system that had encouraged injustice. Hurricanes, flooding, and tornadoes force people to understand that climate change is real, and human beings probably play a significant role in it. Acts of terror should force us to admit that our economic and political systems are failing millions of people on this planet. We must wake up to the realization that we need to change how we operate and blaze a new trail.

I encourage you to join me in the new year on a retreat, at a workshop or summit, or virtually as we strive to bring about an environmentally regenerative, socially just world together. Let’s make 2016 the year when we look deeper into the meaning behind messages the Living Earth and desperate people are sending us, and take actions to repair broken systems. Let’s avoid the diversionary tactics aimed at instilling us with fear and into adopting policies that divide and conquer. Let’s realize that we live on a fragile space station with no escape shuttles. Let’s unite to navigate our planet through these times of crises and into a future our children and grandchildren will want to inherit.