The year that will live in infamy for years to come is finally nearing its end. 2020 might only have au couple days left, but the lingering impacts it’s leaving us with will hang around for a while I’m afraid. Leading up to New Year’s Eve, I’ve been listening to others do their year-in-reviews, and I held off on doing my own until now, because quite frankly, I just really didn’t know what to say.
It isn’t really true that this has been a year unlike any other, a truth that anyone who had to live through the combined effects of WWI, and the 1918 Flu outbreak can attest to. In fact, that era had always been a fascination of mine, as I would marvel at all those people had to endure. Well, I guess I don’t have to wonder about how they managed it anymore, now do I?
In retrospect, we have to admit we’ve been exceptionally lucky up till now. Time and time again we dodged one bullet after another (SARS, MERS, EBOLA). Our luck was bound to run out eventually, and when I think back on What happened once it did, I must admit that….
I JUST DON’T KNOW…
Why did we manage it all so badly? Why did we ALL have to freak out in the middle of it, and insist on taking care of so many other social issues right then and there, instead of focusing everything we had on stopping this thing? Why the hell haven’t we grown up enough as a species yet, to be able to recognize that there are some things you just need to get done, and as an adult you just shut your whiney little ass up, and do it because you have to? Keep in mind that I’m not saying you have to like it, nor that you can’t complain, or even try and make changes later on. I am saying we had our priorities screwed up right now though. Why can’t we collectively be better than what we’ve been over the last year?
I JUST DON’T KNOW.
As it stands now, the damage has been done. For example, I used to love going to the movies when I was young, and despite not being able to go as often when I got older, I love it still. I never imagined that I would see the demise of the movie theater industry in my lifetime, and yet here we are.
I freely admit that such losses haven’t helped anyone cope with this situation any better. It feels like every time I turn around, all I see is that the things/places/events/experiences that used to be a major part of my aren’t there anymore. To be fair, they’re not really all gone. Physically, most are still where they’ve always been, but they have become inaccessible. So, almost everything that I used to do to relax and enjoy life, I can’t do. The bigger concern that hides in the back of my mind is will I ever be able to do these things again in the future? With the way life is changing, and the suggestion that many of these changes might become permanent…
I JUST DON’T KNOW…
There in lies the concern. That nagging fear of “will life ever be the same,” especially after of all the chaos that 2020 brought with it? Sadly, I do know the answer to that one….
IT WON’T.
If history has taught us anything, it’s that things do change after events such as these. Some changes we will undoubtedly hate, some we’ll learn to live with, and others we might even love. Here’s hoping that 2021 brings us more of that last one. After the year we’ve had, I think we could all use a break, don’t you?
Happy New Year Everyone.
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