Good-bye 2020

Photo by Kelly Sikkema on Unsplash

  365 days ago, I shared in this space my thoughts about the year in front of us.  

  One line was truer than I expected:  "While it would be interesting to know in advance - ultimately, I think that would be terrible.  I can only cope with a few things at a time, and having to handle the next year's events in one gulp is too much."

  A year later, I'm glad I didn't know what was coming, although knowing to stock up on toilet paper and personal protective equipment would have been helpful. 

A worldwide pandemic killed 1,750,000 people (through 12/26/2020 according to The New York Times, John Hopkins University, and Wikipedia) with 80,000,000 diagnosed with the coronavirus.

Racial inequity came to the forefront of conversation after the killing of George Floyd May 25 which caused massive demonstrations across the world.  The vast majority protested peacefully supporting prison and police reforms.  In our world there are still those opposed to equality and fairness - out of fear and ignorance - who continue to cling to their way of life.  There is a long way to go on this issue.

The United States election was one of the most divisive in history.  A President and his party downplayed Covid-19 and resisted solutions proposed by doctors and scientists that were effective around the globe.  

When a much larger than usual turnout resulted in victory by former Vice-President Biden the President claimed fraud and sought to throw-out thousands of ballots of votes for his opponent.  There was never evidence of fraud, primarily because our elections are locally-controlled.

Nine months after it arrived in the United States most of us are sick and tired of the precautions and just want to get back to normal.  I think most of the country is ready to move ahead with a new occupant of the White House hoping for a quieter four years.  

Solving and resolving racial and social injustices will take much longer.  That's not to dismiss or discount what needs to be done, but recognizing this stepped-up effort needs both incremental and substantial change now and over time.  

It's not a quick-fix proposition.  However, I hope each of us search for ways over the next year to engage in learning more about each other to acknowledge differences and what we have in common while searching for a fair path to a new vision of the American dream.