Around this time last year, I'm sure we were full of excitement and hope for the New Year. This
year, not so much. Just to remind you, the year started with Australia on fire. And then it went
downhill from there. Sickness, conflicts, war, protests, isolation, death - for a while there was
nothing to look forward to.
The COVID-19 pandemic has changed the world and our lives in ways that we could never have
imagined. From what started as simple masks and sanitisers, we went to being confined in our
homes for months. Many of us unexpectedly lost loved ones, some of us lost our jobs and
homes. For long, we lived in fear, dread and isolation, and some of us still do.
But what we need to remember from 2020's despair is that we still made it to the end of the
year, and we're stepping into a brand new one soon. Despair and hope are two sides of the
same coin, and for the world to exist as it does, they are both needed - just as day and night,
darkness and light.
While loneliness and isolation seemed to be this year's main themes, there has been so much
that fills us with pure joy and restores our faith in the power of togetherness, our faith in the
world. Countries came together to develop vaccines for the novel coronavirus, people came
together to help others in need during the lockdowns, pollution levels took a dive, giving our
planet a much-deserved breather. Back at home, we started noticing the people we have
always lived with, we started checking on our nearest and dearest ones - the fear of losing
people brought us closer to them. We started valuing our relationships, experiences and, most
importantly, our health as we've never done before. Looking back on the last day of 2020, we've
been more positive, supportive and resilient than we thought we were.
As we prepare to bury 2020 for good, take some time to absorb in the good that came out of this
year. This is the year we pushed back at isolation and fear, and gave the wheel to hope and
solidarity. 2020 might be a top contender for 'Worst Year in the History of Ever' but it taught us
this - that you'll never walk alone. So, we don't know what's in store for us but let's walk on into
2021 with hope in our hearts, into prosperity. Godspeed.
By Saswatha Acharya
I B.A.Communicative English