With 2012 winding down and the New Year right around the corner, it’s naturally a time for reflection – as well as looking forward – and a quick Internet search is all that’s needed to see just how crazy last year truly was, from hurricane Sandy to the recent presidential election, civil unrest in the Middle East to the legalization of marijuana in a number of states, not to mention the push for equal rights when it comes to same-sex marriage. Controversial issues, all, for obvious reasons, whether one’s debating global climate change; a second term for the Obama administration; how to curtail the outbreaks of violence we’re seeing across the globe; or the decriminalization of a drug that many feel is practically harmless when compared to tobacco and alcohol, two of our nation’s biggest killers.

Looking ahead, on the other hand, it’s obvious we’ll be facing even greater challenges in 2013, from gun violence here in our own country to the looming fiscal cliff debacle. And while your favorite touring hippie would be the first to tell you “The Music Never Stopped,” a look back on 2012 – as far as the biggest news stories go – reads more like “The Madness Never Stopped.”

According to the Pew Research Center for the People and the Press, the presidential election topped the list of all things big in the news, followed closely by the recent Connecticut school shooting; the aforementioned Hurricane Sandy; the always popular rising-cost-of-oil-and-or-gas debate; the Colorado theater shooting; the economy; and the deadly mid-west storms of early spring, to name a few. And looking at that list, I must admit it’s a bit depressing considering the only piece of good news (besides Obama’s November victory ... and that depends entirely on one’s personal political point of view) would be the summer Olympics.

Is it just me, or does the bad news always seem to drastically outweigh the good? Then again, the times they are a-changing, as Bob Dylan would say, and it seems we’re likely stuck with our current mess, no matter what we may or may not try to do to change things. And there are times, it’s sad to say, when it looks like we’re going to remain stuck in this rut, damned to repeat the same mistakes time and time again.