FORGING AHEAD...It''s the first days of the year two thousand and three. That date seems so far into the future yet it is here, now. At the beginning of each new year it is customary to look ahead to determine what changes are needed, what new directions to pursue. Usually, an optimistic outlook is my nature, tempered by a healthy measure of well-educated cynicism born of years of extensive human interaction combined with a lifelong study of what goes on behind the scenery of society.

Unfortunately, I am sure that we are witnessing the shifting of gears along society''s drive toward collapse. Every civilization in history has fallen and it is absurd to think that ours will be any different. Just a perfunctory glance at the signposts easily dispels any delusions to the contrary. What then to do? Should we mope around in a state of depression, afraid to live? Should we run around like banshees tearing each other apart? Should we benignly acquiesce to the deepening futility, like a little field mouse in the death throws of the eagle''s talons? Should we fight like mad and rail against the tide? Hell No.

We should take stock of what matters, what we love, what is truly important. We should live life in a grand manner, embracing all that we have with the justifiable glee concomitant with the knowledge that we have lived in and contributed to a great age. We have witnessed the advent of more important discoveries and inventions than were ever thought possible--so much so that amazing advancements have become almost mundane. We should all be proud of our involvement in it. Now, as humanity slowly slips down the slope of decay, we all have the opportunity to nobly engage in correcting our individual performance as humans.

We can stop buying into the unrealistic brainwashed image of what we don''t really believe we should be. Instead of ignoring our consciences because of fear of losing jobs or embarrassing ourselves, we can adhere to our deepest and most spiritual principles. We all know the noble behavior to choose. We all know when we''re doing something harmful to the world and to ourselves. All we have to do now is be good.

There I go being simplistic again. Well guess what...it is simple. We all have the power to change the world, one little action at a time, and we all know what to do. Guess what else...we better do it right this second. There is no tomorrow, no procrastinatory holding pattern. The time is now, or never at all. Have you the courage? Have you the willingness to alter the course of your life and maybe even the world?

I for one am enlivened. I have never had much problem sticking to my principles before, oftentimes to the short-term discomfort that goes along with following my heart and soul. Frankly, I am disgusted because I know that I haven''t contributed that much to bringing our world to the edge of disaster, and, in fact, I have done much to the contrary. Yet, like everyone else on this orbiting space station, I have to deal with reality. Now I am really going to live the truth. I am shedding whatever few remaining restraints I have adopted in the name of political correctness...or social status...or any other unnatural behavior foisted upon me by influences outside of my own intuition and spirit.

I challenge you all to abruptly alter your behavior. Hanging on to the greed, the hurtfulness, the insecurity, the controlling, the self-centeredness, the insincerity, the disregard for others, the wanton disrespect for the environment and the natural world, the empirical trampling of humans'' spirits--change it now. Your actions have threatened your own and your descendents'' futures. Tell everyone else to change their behavior too. Please. I know what I am talking about. You know in your heart that this is valid.

We might be able to create a miracle. Mass consciousness can be transformed and it wouldn''t really take that much, just everyone deciding that they will no longer tolerate bad behavior in themselves and the people around them. Simple, yet incredibly powerful...and attainable. I know it is. You know it is.

This column is entitled Food Chain. We are supposedly at the top of the food chain, but we can annihilate ourselves and end up at the bottom. You all know how frivolous and fun I think life should be, but there is no frivolity and no fun where harm to others is present. Every one of us must immediately begin the new year by drastically altering our negative behaviors. The future is here.

And while we''re touting frivolous, fun, and just plain optimistic behavior, check out Food in the Nude for raw, unadulterated nourishing prepared raw foods. Anna Masteller and Michael Genis are selling stuff through Cornucopia Market in Carmel and are planning a restaurant. E-mail them at foodinthenude@rawfoods. com. I''ll write more about them later.

--send your good cheer to ray@coastweekly.com