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2020- The Good, the Bad, and the Uglies
2020
No one can dispute that 2020 was an abnormal year. No one disputes that they are happy to see the end of 2020. We as humans are optimistic and are expecting 2021 to be better. And it will. But not as quickly as we want. So, as we begin 2021 let’s do everything we can individually to prevent the continued spread of the Corona Virus- Wear masks, avoid large gatherings, and get vaccinated when it is your turn.2020 was a year of good things, bad things and some very ugly things, but we have survived and will eventually see the end. Here is my list of the good, the bad, and the ugly.
5 Goods
The response of our frontline workers- They are the heroes of the fight against the pandemic effects. Many of them have seen more deaths this year than they have in their careers. Their mental health and that of the general populace will be an ongoing issue.
Vaccines-The development of safe and effective vaccines has been a marvel of science. The distribution is a monumental task and will highlight the good and bad in some of us. Don’t get ahead of others, your turn will come.
People helping those less fortunate- We have a major issue with food insecurity that is continuing to grow. Both individuals and food banks have responded with kindness and helpfulness. We will need to be vigilant in 2021 to beat back this problem.
The election process-The election process worked regardless of who you voted for. My hat is off to those election workers who manned the voting stations and counted the votes despite thrusts and intimidation.
The food distribution System-The transportation system that gets our food to the stores has worked inspire the hoarders (how much toilet paper do you really need.) Of course, there were some shortages, but they kept up to meet our needs. And the frontline store personnel worked under adverse conditions for all of us.
5 Bads
Pandemic- We were unprepared for the Coronavirus pandemic. We didn’t have the supplies our frontline workers needed to stay safe, and we didn’t have the charismatic leader that could rally the American people to engage in the fight against it. The result will be more deaths from the pandemic than occurred during World War II.
Racism and Divisiveness-The differences have been inflamed instead of celebrated. We have seen a rise in anti-government, anti-black, and other racist groups. They uncovered a plot to kidnap and kill a governor.
Congressional Partisanship-Congress has become a partisan group that is no longer dealing with the health and welfare of the nation. Whatever ideas, one side comes up with the other side is against for no reason other than the other side came up with it. We must return to dialogue to find the best ideas for the people.
Rule of law tarnished- The independence of the Department of Justice was tarnished. Hopefully, we will restore this independence soon because if the law is no longer the servant of the people then we are in dangerous territory.
5 Uglies
Police killings of blacks- Some police have gotten out of control. The unions protect the police and the individual officers aren’t being held accountable for their actions. There is a need for the entire justice system to be amended to be less militaristic and to be more serving and protecting.
President Trump’s pardons- Pardoning admitted felons just because they are your friends and cronies are a blatant misuse of the pardon power.
Rioting-Rioting happened much too often in the past years. We need to identify the root causes and try to remove them, so it doesn’t need to happen again.
The blatant attempts to derail and sow distrust in the democratic process- the 2020 election process survived the attempts to derail them. Both Republicans and Democrats have attested to the election results. In those states with multiple recounts, they upheld the results. They did it right.
Driving cars into crowds of people just because they don’t agree with you- This highlights our inability to have different points of view from others without taking it to extremes. We need to learn how to discuss these painful things and find the agreements that can keep this from happening. This also highlights the mental health failings of our systems.
Despite all this, we still have one thing to hold on to for 2021, We have Hope!
Hope lies in dreams, in imagination, and in the courage of those who dare to make dreams into reality.”–Jonas Salk.
Hope can be a powerful force. Maybe there’s no actual magic in it, but when you know what you hope for most and hold it like a light within you, you can make things happen, almost like magic.”–Laini Taylor.
“All the great things are simple, and many can be expressed in a single word: freedom, justice, honor, duty, mercy, hope.”–Winston Churchill.
