2021 in Two Graphics
I feel like I spent 2020 nudging the world in the direction I think it should go. As I look toward 2021, the things that I can control are in good shape. The things I can’t control are in bad shape. But, I am hopeful.
What was accomplished in 2020?
There was a huge effort, by millions of people, to turn America away from the leadership of Donald Trump. Three years from now, we may have to do it again.
In the meantime, I continue to trust that everyone is doing the best they can, focusing on what matters most to them. There is much to be done. We need change. We need to face:
-
-
-
-
-
-
- Injustices that are 400 years old,
- Injustices that are 4 years old,
- And much in between.
-
-
-
-
-
In 2020, in less than 11 months, scientists geared up to solve the need for a vaccine for a coronavirus. This required that they stop work on whatever other viral research their lab was doing. They had to focus on what the world needed, in an immediate way.
This kind of concentrated effort happens annually when we get flu shots; scientists identify the most likely strain that might infect us and they create the vaccine that will provide immunity in 2021.
Please note that this kind of effort did not happen in relation to HIV (the virus that causes AIDS).
Things I can control (to some extent):
My house.
My relationships.
My daily routine. My diet. My exercise level. The information I take in every day. My entertainment choices.
Things I can’t control:
The composition of the American government.
The composition of any other government.
People who hate me because of who I am, from birth.
People who hate me because of who I am, based on my life decisions.
I can live with that in 2021.