2020 – The Year of Lessons

Assuming anyone makes it out of 2020, of course.

2020

Yowza- what a year it’s been. Oh and it’s only June? Let’s glance at the chain of events.

• Death of Kobe Bryant.
• Australian bushfire.
• Floods.
• Locusts
• COVID-19 pandmemic.
• Racism.

Is the world ending? Probably. Kids in 2040 will be reading about 2020 thinking it came out of a Stephen King novel.

When it comes to the bushfire, floods, locusts… we don’t really have any power in those circumstances. However, the pandemic, racial brutality, and a whole lot of media coverage have exposed some darker sides of society. With that comes a rude awakening that people need to start to prepare for.

Protesting

I’m quite young so this is hands down the most protesting I have seen in my entire life. The nation fighting for it’s freedom during COVID-19. Black people fighting for their lives. The severe mental pain and suffering that have caused such protests is something I never thought I would live to see in my lifetime.

The bright side of this? People are using their voices and practicing their freedoms against the government. People are being forced to face issues like mental health and racism because it’s happening. It’s more relevant now than ever. People are coming together, acting as voices for one another. Change is coming.

For most, 2020 has been the first time many people have ever had to give anything up… graduations, weddings, etc. But for others it’s a year no different than any, but we’re often so wrapped up in our own lives that we couldn’t afford to pay any attention- right? Not anymore.

That being said, 2020 hasn’t been all bad. Don’t believe me? Take a look at our environment. Although experts say that the environmental impacts from quarantine won’t be permanent, it’s given us a glimpse that we really do have a large impact on the health of our planet (in case you weren’t aware of that). We made it weeks living in these conditions, experiencing a time with less pollution and waste… will this really be something we rush back to?

Change

If anything, I would hope this year promotes empathy. It’s time we stop thinking about just ourselves and our neighbors, but for those we’ve never met. Those who face battles we’ll never even begin to understand. The excuses need to come to an end and changes need to be made – major changes. At the end of the day, we are all one. We can’t live in a world filled with hate, prejudice, racism, selfishness and ignorance.

Millennials are often referred to in a derogatory manner, but I don’t buy that. It is our generation that is going to make a change. We aren’t the generation that looks the other way because things make us uncomfortable. Though some might say we’re whiney or entitled, I say that we are using our voices to make changes. To speak for those who can’t. To make the world a better place. 2020 is the year of lessons and it can only go up from here.