For a century mankind looked forward to 2001, and now none of us shall be sorry to bid it farewell. This should have been the year of the Space Odyssey, of the true dawn of the Millennium, the newest of years.

Instead it rained down hard woes and a new way of waging old war.

It was painful to me that the attack on America by Muslim zealots should have been carried out in pursuit of 'holy war' - as if any war could ever be holy.

God's simplest, most profound commandment to man, held sacred in all the major religions of the world, is simply this: Do not kill each other.

If God had looked upon New York on September 11, or later on Jerusalem, or on Kunduz, He must have wondered what part of 'Do not kill each other' we had failed to comprehend.

The great thing about turning your back on the troubles of the past is that you automatically face the future. So here are 10 reasons to look forward to the New Year with joy and hope:

One: We will win against the terrorists. Civilisation will not be overthrown.

We can't be beaten unless we quit, and we'll never quit.

All those September fears of anarchy and destruction were childish nightmares - we will continue to shine the light of progress all over the world and live in optimism, because human beings are naturally spiritual, positive and good. The few who seek to wreck civilisation will always be massively outnumbered by the many who love God and mankind

Two: The greatest force for good in the world costs nothing.

It is prayer, a gift which wells up naturally in our souls at all times of danger and alarm. Science is now proving the power of prayer, with tests being carried out at hospitals across Europe and America to show that prayer aids health. Pray and you live longer; pray and your loved ones can be healthier. Because science is a kind of religion with us now, these proofs will strengthen our spirits.

Three: Most people have always accepted the reality of human psychic energy. Whether it's spoonbending or telepathy, dowsing or second sight, psi is an essential part of our lives.

Now science is closer than ever to proving its existence under laboratory conditions. This may even lead soon to scientific proof that our souls survive death - the ultimate cause for optimism.

Four: Our bodies can generate feel good chemicals at the flick of a switch - and that switch is your smile. Simply by exercising the muscles in your face, you invigorate your body with energy and joy.

Best of all, your smile spreads happiness all around, putting a smile on the faces of all who see it and brightening their days.

Five: It's easy to smile when the sun is shining, and all over the northern hemisphere the days are getting longer. Winter's darkest hour has passed and we are rolling towards the springtime.

Make the most of every morning - get outside when the sun is rising and welcome the day.

You'll feel an immediate sense of belonging and rightness.

Six: Our tireless inventiveness has created a worldwide system of instant information access, the internet, which gives students all over the planet possession of facts and ideas which were the domain of a fortunate few just a decade ago. The payback as the world's libraries become free to all will be unimaginably vast - we are about to make a quantum leap in education, and massive benefits in political freedom and global health will be swift to follow.

Seven: The debt which has crippled so much of the world is being systematically wiped out. Money is an illusion, based on the silly worth we have always placed on precious metals and banknotes.

As governments learn to think in terms of human value instead of money, whole nations will spring to life.

Eight: Every minute 300 babies are born - five every second.

The world can easily feed and clothe them, if we value each life as it deserves. And every child contains a seed of infinite potential.

Since I was born in 1946, the world's population has grown by 163 per cent, from 2,341 million to well over 6,000 million. This is a very big planet, and we need all the brilliant, energetic, diligent, loving children we can get.

Nine: Time flows forwards. No matter what tough times you have endured, they are behind you now and no one can possible make you go through them again. The future is yours to create. The past is like the wake left by a ship on the face of the ocean: the wake does not push you forward, it is simply what you leave behind.

Ten: we have all become aware that our planet deserves our care. As we would not strew litter and toxic waste around our homes, so we have learned to treat the globe, which is home to us all, with greater respect.

If you embrace the virtues of recycling and keep the importance of green living always in your mind, you will be rewarded by a sense of duty well done.

Eleven: My friends I wish you lots of health, happiness, peace of mind and most of all remember Point Four.

Uri Geller