“Don’t let yesterday take up too much of today.” -Will Rogers
The COVID-19 pandemic, the death of Kobe Bryant, George Floyd, Chadwick Boseman, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Eddie Van Halen, and that of ten major Bollywood celebrities, a Pakistan airliner crash, a Ukrainian jetliner crash, locusts swarm in East Africa, floods in Indonesia, earthquakes in Turkey and the Caribbean, a gas plant explosion in Nigeria, the Beirut blast, the falling economy and stock market crash, the Iowa caucus, the Minneapolis riots, the communal riots in Delhi,the Australian bushfires, the West Coast wildfires, Twitter hacks… the list is never-ending. This is what 2020 gave us! 2020 changed the world in unimaginable ways by its “history-making moments”- it changed the way things used to work in this world.
Going through this year wasn’t easy at all for any one of us. These major life-changing things that happened this year were so scary and depressing. We all probably lost someone we loved. We all had our physical and emotional health affected. We all felt like giving up – but we didn’t! Even though we lost many, some of us managed to survive. Looking at this year with any other perspective is difficult, but we can’t deny all the things it taught us. 2020 taught us not to take life for granted. It helped us look at life from a completely different and positive perspective – it showed us how to live. It brought us closer to our loved ones. It taught us the importance of respecting and loving everyone. It taught us to value our privileges and to reach out to those who don’t have any. It reminded us to be better than what we were yesterday. It bought back humanity. It gave us BLM – no person should ever be denied fundamental rights because of the color of their skin. Also, the Wall of Moms in Portland became a national protest against racism and police brutality. 2020 made history by electing the first South-Asian woman to be the Vice President of the United States of America. Because of the quarantine, pollution levels dropped significantly. Africa was declared free of polio. Indians fought Bollywood nepotism. Same-sex marriages were legalized in Costa Rica. And drive-in cinemas are back!
2021 might be more challenging than 2020, but 2020 has prepared us for everything. We’ve learned that it’s up to us to make 2021 better than 2020. For this upcoming year, let’s make sure to not repeat the mistakes we make this year, and to live life to the fullest. Let’s help those who need us. Let’s listen to those who have something to say. Let’s love and accept everyone for who they really are. Let’s open up to those we want to reach out to. Let’s hold on to those who love us. Let’s laugh and hug without occasions. Let’s read books. Let’s enjoy rain and the music that surrounds us. Let’s dance to our own tunes. Let’s eat like there’s no food left. Let’s make more friends. Let’s go on long drives and evening walks. Let’s wake up every morning stronger than we were yesterday. Let’s spread happiness to every life we touch, and let’s fight for our own dreams. Let’s make this year the best one so far. Let’s do it all, and let’s do it with love and hope.