I’m Going to Stop Wishing it Was Already 2021
We actually needed 2020.
It feels as though we have been daydreaming our way through the years so far — hustling, working and going through life in a haze. It wasn’t until 2020 began we finally woke up from our haze and realised what was really going on. I have caught myself too many times saying “man I wish it was just 2021 already”, and I’m stopping that right now. This year has made me scared, frustrated, confused, angry and sad, but this year has also put more into perspective than the past 10 years have. I am no longer going to wish away this year because we needed this perspective. Do not get me wrong in thinking I am saying we needed the loss and horror we are experiencing, because I would never want it to come across that way, but this year has given us a great deal to take on board and learn from.
Even before 2020 began, we were experiencing some of the worst wildfires we have ever had in Australia. To say we started off on a bad note would be generous. 2020 begun with firefighters risking their lives, people’s homes being destroyed, lives being lost and our pleading for other countries to help us, support us and aide us in our recovery from this disaster. Not only was this utterly devastating and is something people are still working hard to recover from, but this woke us up to the very real effects of climate change. This was scary. But what is even scarier is learning that if our global temperatures increase by a further 2°C, which seems likely at the rate we are traveling, then these conditions which caused these catastrophic fires may occur four times more often [BBC, March 2020]. Those who dispute these facts are hindering our hope at stopping this before it is too late. Who knows… Maybe it is already too late. It is no secret that the increase in global temperatures and the human impact on our environment is creating irrevocable change, and the devastating impact of this became sadly evident during this unprecedented fire season. However, this truly taught us we need action now if we are aiming to reduce the rate of global warming.
“Ultimately, a significant portion of conservatives and corporate leaders regard science as an annoyance that they can refuse to recognise.” — Rebecca Solnit in The Guardian, April 2020
The biggest elephant in the room for 2020 is Covid-19. Wow, boy did this do its job in waking us up… We woke up to the good and bad health care systems we have in place. We woke up to the very real message that we truly are “all in this together”. We woke up to the fact we have to take care of ourselves and the others around us. We woke up to realise what we have and what we need. We woke up to realise some people are living much harder lives than our own. We woke up.
“Our focus shifts, and what matters shifts. What is weak breaks under new pressure, what is strong holds, and what was hidden emerges. Change is not only possible, we are swept away by it.” — Rebecca Solnit in The Guardian, April 2020
Covid-19 gave us the perspective we needed to reassess what we are doing in life, the way we view the world, the way we view others and what we need to do to change and grow into the new future unfolding before us. Covid-19 showed us the very real and devastating effects of a health crisis. It showed us the power of working together for a greater good. It showed us how damn crucial our health care workers are. It showed us how much we need our medical professionals, scientists, experts, grocery shop workers, delivery drivers, teachers and even the journalists reporting to us each hour. While Covid-19 has been a devastating global pandemic, it has taught us so much. We didn’t need a pandemic, killing hundreds of thousands of people, but we did need some kind of caveat for looking at the world as a whole and working together as one.
While Covid-19 is still devastating the world, we are also dealing with an uprising for racial justice. With the recent murder of George Floyd at the hands of police officers, the world outside of the POC and Black community has finally been given a very real wake up call. This Black Lives Matter movement has woken us up to the power of taking action. People all over the globe are standing up against this racial injustice and taking the time to learn, re-educate and give space to those who need it right now. The demonstrations we are seeing around the globe are profound and I am just hoping we continue this long road ahead of fighting for justice and equality even after the news cycle moves on. It is not something that can be fixed in a month but will take time and constant support from all, not just the POC or Black community. For so many this outrage over George Floyd’s death has been a reflection on the many, many decades of oppression, socio-economic inequality and discrimination and this momentum being gained through protesting, signing petitions and educating is only the beginning. We need to stay awake. Keep reading, learning, supporting and making conscious and intentional decisions to stay awake. We cannot let these global issues get swept under the rug as the news cycle moves on.
To think we are only halfway through 2020 and this is what we are learning and focusing on is insane. We need to use all of these enormous changes in our own lives and the world to make informed decisions about how we move forward into the future. I am using this time to reflect, learn, grow and reassess my values, beliefs and understandings. I am going to stop wishing away this year and start waking up to the reality of what this year is teaching us. We needed this year to WAKE UP.
References
Ghosh, P. (2020, March 4). Climate change boosted Australia bushfire risk by at least 30%. Retrieved from https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-51742646
Solnit, R. (2020, April 7). ‘The impossible has already happened’: what coronavirus can teach us about hope. The Guardian. Retrieved from https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/apr/07/what-coronavirus-can-teach-us-about-hope-rebecca-solnit
