For some, 20/20 vision is a regretful thing. We get to see our weaknesses through a lens of context, something most of us are not privy to as we walk through life. Context is everything, so looking back frequently can help us make course corrections. What we hope to gain is some kind of measure we can use to avoid the mistakes of the past, and this is the topic of today’s post.
That measurement is derived from experience, history, or the big picture. 2020 sucked for most of us, but let’s look at some context to know what might be in our future. After all, recent memories can be the clearest and may provide some insight. What actually happened?
Government was under siege all year. This was Trump’s last year, and though he was plagued with phony investigations and constant media maligning, he actually did quite well at following through with his promises. The election was very close, almost too close to call, thanks to the rampant corruption throughout many battleground cities. It seemed like a year of superlatives. Even the laws that mitigate a breakdown of society were ignored, almost as if some power intended our demise in the US.
Economic disruption was severe. Though we showed real recovery early in the year and some toward the end of the year, the COVID-19 pandemic affected everyone. We may never know who sent the virus to the world, but shutdowns of small businesses, schools, and churches were enforced by state and local governments. Travel to and from heavily affected countries was blocked. People were locked up for having family gatherings, and many lost their jobs. There were times when toilet paper was in short supply, because of the run on needed commodities. Store shelves were bare.
On the other hand, media outlets, internet companies, and large businesses had plenty of business. Public entities were financed by our taxes that continued to be paid. For us in the South, it seemed like hurricane season is all, but the big stores recovered quickly and Amazon online sales went through the roof. Gun sales soared. Families were reunited and had lots of time together. People were able to reflect on their relationships and purpose. Jobs that should have been work-at-home jobs were brought home. For us, the time was very well spent on what matters most and getting our house in order.
Social shifts were happening everywhere. With churches closed, we went online to communicate. People started to flee cities and states that were in lockdown. Facebook started censoring its own customers and using biased third-party services to shut down anyone with new information or a different opinion from big-media narratives. Riots broke out, during the pandemic, in cities with groups hating on government and cops. Arson claimed large areas in the western states. Racial tensions were amplified by communist groups and fueled by video clips of cops killing blacks. People of all races joined in to support the oppressed and call for truth and equity.
The moral ethos changed. It was hard to explain it, but if I were to summarize, I would say the truly religious became more religious and the godless became more godless. Rich became richer and poor became poorer. The powerful grabbed more power. The oppressed were more oppressed. People that were on the fence for the most part were faced with a choice to make. It was easy now to disassociate, so if they really wanted religion they had to do something about it. War did not break out and Israel signed many peace accords, and surprising alliances of people from differing denominations made real strides in coming together to address the growing humanitarian needs in the world.
My takeaway is, as always, you get what you give. Many were required to make sacrifices and those sacrifices made us stronger. Now it is up to us to take what we learned and move into the new year with determination and eyes wide open.
