Well, the first half of 2020 is behind us, and what a historic six months it has been! At the beginning of this year, people were so optimistic and excited. A new year, a new decade, a re-visiting of the 20’s – which personally is my favorite decade in history. The promise of the future was everywhere. And then, just as quickly as that promise was born, it began fading away. First, there were the reports of a new virus spreading half a world away. The next thing we knew, that virus was making its way across the globe and invading our country. Seemingly overnight, America went from being “open for business” to “closed indefinitely,” and our lives completely changed. Businesses and schools were closed, jobs were lost, and people were dying.
And then, there was more. In alarmingly rapid succession, we were confronted with Ahmaud Arbery, George Floyd, Breonna Taylor – every day people who all died in horrific ways. Their deaths released a barrage of emotions, and people were challenged to really analyze their feelings, be informed, speak up, and get involved. Every day there were reports of protests and even sometimes violent riots as people who were hurting, grieving, and angry lashed out at a society that has failed to hear their voices for far too long. However, these actions caused people of all races, ethnicities, and cultures to come together and loudly proclaim that “Black Lives Matter,” and a glimmer of hope was born that maybe, just maybe, this time they really would.
So, here we are entering the second half of 2020, and in many ways the world seems just as uncertain as it was a few months ago. However, the difference is we have already gone through these last few months, and have hopefully become stronger and smarter because of them. This new normal has taught us many things – many job functions can be performed at home, essential workers need to be protected because they are the ones who keep this country running, teachers should be valued more because wow! Their jobs actually ARE hard, history has a way of repeating itself (especially when the original history was written in a way that hid so much of the truth), masks save lives, and Black Lives Matter. What we choose to do with our new knowledge is up to us. Every individual has a choice: to learn and grow or stay stagnant and die. My dad used to say all the time that, “all living things grow and change. The only time you aren’t growing and changing is when you’re dead.”
As this roller coaster year starts its descend toward the finish, let us all take time to really evaluate who we are and who we want to be. Have you tried to push yourself out of your comfort zone? Have you read or watched something that challenged you? Have you been purposeful about finding opportunities to show compassion or thankfulness to others? Have you spent time listening respectfully to someone with a different viewpoint than yours? Even more importantly, have you spent time engaging in a respectful dialogue with someone whose views are not the same as yours? Are you someone who is searching for ways to be united or are you a person who is fostering division?
I, for one, would like to believe that when 2020 comes to a close we as a people will be able to look back and see that the events of this year impacted us in a way that ultimately made us stronger and better people. That this year caused us to come together in ways we never have before. That systemic changes occurred in this year which will benefit the most vulnerable in our society instead of continue to cause them harm. This year isn’t over yet, and it’s up to us to decide what lessons future historians will teach about the opening year of the 21st century Roaring Twenties.
Words from the Long Run 