2020 HAS BEEN A DARK YEAR FOR THE WORLD, NOW IT IS TIME TO BRING HOPE INTO OUR FUTURE WITH 2021.
For many people, the lead up to the New Year is spent creating resolutions and cheering “this will be my year.” At the beginning of 2020, there was hope, and life continued as expected. The gyms were overwhelmed with new signee’s and our Instagram feed was full of new aspirations for the year.
Despite being in the middle of one of Australia’s worst bushfires, its citizens came together. Fighting a long side the fellow man without fear of proximity to help save the wildlife and environment. The grey and orange smoke that replaced the blue summer sky quickly spread across the ocean to New Zealand. Homes were burnt and many people feared for their lives. But the nation endured knowing our fellow neighbour, firefighter and volunteers were fighting alongside them.
For a split moment after the bushfire season, we believed that 2020 had given the worst it had to offer. However, the whole world was flipped upside down when COVID-19 was declared a pandemic. Images of mass graves were shared, grandparents talked to their family through glass windows and nurses worked until near exhaustion. The sense of humanity found during the 2020 bushfires seemed lost as people were forced into isolation. The once busy city streets were empty, masks were the new fashion accessory and non-essential workers were cut.
The global pandemic was a testament to humanities perseverance and in many ways we failed. In the midst we lost our kindness while our impatience and prejudice towards others grew. The neighbouring states in Australia became rivals in a time we should be coming together. Victoria’s population suffered as it was continuously dragged into isolation for weeks at a time. But many people turned their regulated isolation into a positive by finding new hobbies, including cooking, knitting or learning a new language.
COVID-19 has undoubtedly been a dark beginning to the new decade and despite our best efforts it will follow us into 2021. In the final days of 2020, people have lost hope in the idea that the New Year will be a better year. As ordinary citizens we have no control over the virus and we have wasted enough time letting it control us.
For a brighter outlook for the future, people need to readjust their attitude to the new world around them. Rather than focusing on the obstacle ahead of us, take the time to find a new path. Negative thoughts have never rewarded you with positive results. Utilise the skills you already have or make some new ones to share your creative side. It is easy to wallow in the darkness that COVID-19 has created. But I ask you to be the person that helps breathe life and hope into 2021.
Stay safe.
