Twenty-Twenty Vision - A Reflection of a Year We'd be Tempted to Forget

Caveat: this one is a bit of a rant, and the direction is shaky at times. But I wanted to write something before the year ran out. So here we go.

2020 has been a year some might call collectively, for lack of a better word, a cluster- fuck. Excuse the French, (and forgive me France for using that expression), but it is an apt description of the year, methinks.

Together we have seen, and gone through, many ugly things. The darker side of human nature has reared its ugly head in multiple ways – corruption, hypocrisy, fanaticism, greed and apathy, from the highest levels of our civilisation to the ground floor.

I’m not one for scapegoats. I indeed reject the idea of pointing a finger at a single person to explain the world’s problems. It especially angers me when the ones pointing the finger are also to blame. This is cowardice at the highest level, and it does nothing for the cause of progressing the human race towards something better – in fact, this kind of thing damages that progression.

The only true way forward is accountability, by all, for the benefit of all. Compassion and kindness. Trust at the risk of betrayal. Forgiveness.

We need to practice helping our neighbour back on their feet, even if we don’t like them that much. And on an individual level, we need to reflect on the ways we have fallen short of being a good neighbour, of being a good person.

Even the archetypal figures of myth and history, who we deem as great, had many flaws. Their greatness came from the fact they acknowledged those flaws, reflected upon them, and strove to become better despite of them.

If you do not see the flaws in your own heart, you need to look harder. Indeed, this kind of naivety is the basis of so much ideological thinking. Perfection only exists for those whose vision is so blurred they fail to see the cracks within it.

And perhaps most important to this idea, is the fact that is it OK to be imperfect. Imperfection is where the beauty lies, for imperfection is what makes each of us unique. And it is the through line that connects us all – we are all in this battle together, striving to become better, sometimes falling in defeat, sometimes rising in triumph.

This is what it is to be human.

2020 has nothing on 2011 for me, when I lost first my auntie, and then my old man less than a fortnight apart, both suddenly. The aftermath of that was a haze of numbness, and surrealism of life that is difficult to put into words. It certainly made me put all things into perspective, that life is too short for fear. And it is still teaching me things – indeed my conviction to make a living from this writing thing is in no small way shaped by that event, a constant reminder that time is precious and that life is what you want from it – not what others tell you it is.

If nothing else, it gave me perspective that served well in dealing with the difficulties of this year just passed.

But as with all things, when the rug is pulled from beneath your feet, you must find your footing and go on – all in good time.

That saying, “the rug is pulled from under you,” is an interesting one to think about in terms of this year. On the surface, it suggests that you fall as a result. But more accurately, I think, it exposes the illusion that there is something solid for you to stand on in the first place. We build foundations on which we then construct our entire worlds, and at some point we begin to believe those foundations are permanent.

They are not.

And sometimes, when they crumble beneath us, we are left floating, drifting, with no quick way to find solid ground.

But you do, eventually. Your foot finds some stray bit of rock and you plant it there. And sense of direction returns to you. And, then, when your internal compass seems to be working once again, you go back to taking steps, one at a time.

And it will again for the world now. There will be more rugs removed, more foundations cracked, more illusions shattered. But to be human is to live despite tragedy. We are capable of singing and dancing at the most tragic of times. We are able to find joy in the midst of pain.

We are a bunch of resilient, audacious monkeys, and we will work our shit out.

So now, as we prepare to drink away the memory of this year of twenty-twenty vision, I suggest you take some time to reflect on it, in all its tragedy, in all its challenge. Don’t just dismiss it as some anomaly you try to forget about. Use it as a device to improve. Use it as an opportunity to grow.

Use it to remind yourself of what is important.

Here’s to the possibility of a better, more unified 2021, where we all lift each other up.