“New beginnings”. A phrase that I heard a lot in the year 2020. At the end of the year when 2020 was coming to an end, many people were saying that next year (2021) would symbolize new beginnings. At first, I was excited about it, but after some time I’ve done some thinking, and honestly the phrase “new beginnings” doesn’t appeal to me anymore. We’ve been through so much in the last year and the world has changed so much. Especially the way we think about the world.
When you think of the year 2020 now, the first thing I think of is the Pandemic, but besides that, a lot more happened in 2020. We lost a lot of amazing people, our ecosystems suffered a lot of damage, we’ve made lots of discoveries, and many of us have learned about ourselves as individuals, what we thrive off of, what we don’t like, what makes us emotional, and more. After going through all this, I don’t think the world will ever be the same.
When I first thought about what life would be like after the pandemic, I thought of me sitting in my living room with the news on, and the officials saying “Go outside! Throw out your masks! And enjoy yourself” and I thought it would be like Thanos’s snap in the marvel movie, one day there’s a global pandemic, and the next day people are having parties. But that is definitely not the case anymore.
I don’t think the world will be the same after this, because everyone has gone through so many changes, during the pandemic, many of us turned to technology as a substitute for in-person gatherings, instead of getting ready on weekends to go out, people would stay in pj’s and pick up their phone. And after people sticking to this lifestyle for so long people forgot what it was like to hug someone, to laugh with someone, and just be with someone, without having to think about how far away you are from each other. It’s like we don’t know how much we rely upon or love something before it’s taken away from us.
I can’t speak for everyone, but I’ve grown to appreciate everything thing “normal” so much more now. Like being able to go to school, saying hello to my neighbors, taking walks outside, seeing my friends. And I now know why adults always tell kids “to get fresh air” or “avoid too much screen time” because one day we might not have the option of going outside. But that doesn’t mean all hope is lost, scientists have found a COVID vaccine, that is saving many lives, and schools are starting to open. We still have a long way to go but we’re making progress and that’s all that matters.