By Allen Hamrick
Wow, it is unbelievable! The year 2020 is now the past with a brand new year off to a young start. To say that 2020 was not a year for change would be like saying the United States Constitution is just a piece of paper.
Many of us can remember the 1980’s; one thing I remember is people talking about the future that didn’t think for a second that the world would last until 2000. Then, there were those really going out on a limb and saying that 2012, if we made it that far, would be the end of the world, and we would move into the age of Aquarius. It was a time when the idea of future was counted in months or just a few years. Those years passed into history, and 2000 showed up right on schedule. You remember the day when Y2K was supposed to shut down the world and send us into utter chaos and ruin. Young people who are getting set to graduate high school this year didn’t even exist at the time. We made it, though, and the world did not collapse as we sat around our computers and TV’s desperately hoping that we wouldn’t go back to the stone age of using paper.
Since the dawn of time, we have been through ages that looked as though humanity would not survive. Yet, here we are. High tech innovations have evolved in the last decade and made it possible for the human population to communicate with each other at the press of a button or, “Hey, Alexa.” Hospitals are so high tech now that they can see the most minute details of the human body and fix problems by command, not all problems, of course, but far more than just ten years ago. Automobiles have become so “smart” in the last few years that they can now drive and park themselves. Computer technology is so advanced that experts are talking biological computers in the near future. This means that a computer will be able to think on its own. The movies we have all watched, such as Transformers, may not be such a fantasy in the near future. Young people are groomed to live in such times, from early days to exiting college, so they can make a better world as they become the movers and shakers as the older generations fade into the past. The question is will they get the chance? The process of life we all know and understand has been going on since the beginning of time with change being a constant.
Then, 2020 comes and everything “normal” seemingly changed. The way we lived suddenly went from understanding to confusion. A pandemic of all things, regardless of whether you believe it was an evil plot to rule the world, a political ploy to see how far the establishment can rule us, or a way for the rich to get super rich doesn’t matter, life changed. What matters is that COVID-19 crossed the barriers into humanity, and it has changed the whole of what we as common people believed and perceived to be normal. Schools changed, the way we shop for goods changed and life has seemingly become survival of the fittest in cities and towns across the country. Politics have all but become a battleground for power, and the fall out rolls down hill, affecting the lives of every human depending on our leaders to make the right choices. Choices need to be based on what’s right by a deeper understanding of the truth, for all people, not just a select few.
COVID-19 turned 2020 into a year that, if the world lasts until 2500, will always be known as the year that made toilet paper, mask, and hand sanitizer companies rich, and stores that remained open became rich while the mom and pop stores closed their doors. Was there any good that came out of 2020? In my opinion, people adapted and changed their lifestyles and found a renewed love for the great outdoors. People also found new ways to become self sufficient as gardens started popping up all over, and a new independence started to rise.
Creativity become something new as people broke the mold they were stuck in and ventured into new things. Amazon became richer than ever and new technology has started to take over our daily lives, whether we like it or not.
A new technology coming from California will change the way we travel, shop, invest, and may possibly take over the automotive industry as gas vehicles will be a thing of the past in the next few years. With the right app on your phone, you will be able to order a pizza and it will come to your door via a drone. The election has turned people against each other so much that war is on their tongues. How has it come to this, and where will it go? The quest for power, agendas, and money make living by the truth and what’s good for everyone cliché. So where do we begin as a people in 2021? How do we go forward from 2020 into the uncertain future that we will face as a generation? That question, among many questions, has to be answered by the individual, the family and friends. There is no way that the common person will change anything political or the rotation of the world. The only thing we can change is ourselves, and inspire the people around us in whatever circumstance we are faced with.
In 2020, we saw a lot of horrible things that we hope never happen again. We also saw common folk answering the call for help and those that stood on the front lines of tough situations with no thought of themselves. How we approach the New Year does not depend on the news, politics or resolutions; it depends on us. Not how I see it or the way you see it, but what’s right and what’s wrong for all people. We live in a world now where changes are inevitable and the only constant thing is inconsistency. Opinions are the best defense against what we should be doing. We have children that are depending on the decisions of our government, that we as parents and grandparents make, so that they, too, can have a home, job, children of their own, a savings account, a car and so on. We must apply remedies to our problems or more problems will arise that we cannot control. Don’t dwell on 2020 so much that the days coming are wrought with fear and depression. Be strong and mighty before the circumstances. Throw a sack of good on your back and make your world a better place for you and those around you. Believe nothing without cold, hard facts, and don’t live in everybody else’s shoes until you can fill your own. Today isn’t yesterday, and change is inevitable, good or bad. However, the work we do and our thought must change with the times – evolve or be lost in the shuffle. The one thing we must remember is that there is always hope, and if we know the truth the best thing we can do is use it. I believe Seneca, the Roman philosopher, said it best, “The person who is truly good and wise will bear with dignity whatever fortune sends and will always make the best of their circumstances.” Let’s make 2021 a better year than last year, if not for the country, for ourselves and families, so that generations to come will enjoy it as much. Happy New Year!
