I listed how 2016 had good attributes a couple weeks ago if only to keep my own spirits up but wow this week really proved that no, 2016 will go down as an awful year.

I'm not just referring to all of the celebrity deaths (most recently Carrie Fisher and Debbie Reynolds) as well as political and international tragedies, I mean on a personal level, for many people I know, 2016 was one of the worst years of their lives. Many people in my hometown were involved in car accidents with varying levels of physical harm to them, friends of mine have lost their parents or friends to prison or more tragic circumstances, they had traumatic living situations, dealt with poor reactions to coming out of the closet, financial troubles due to unforeseen circumstances, etcetera.

Their personal sufferings were then compounded by the deaths of their idols, watching a man who would condemn them for who they were and his bigoted supporters rise to power after so many years of progress, and their own fears for safety reflected in the eyes of Muslims, African Americans, people with disabilities, and the MOGII community who were openly harassed this year because of that man's supporters. Not to mention how much they emphasized with people who suffered due to the issues in Syria, Brexit, the Zika virus, every awful thing that happened this year.

But 2016 will be over by the time this is published. It will be done. That's not to say that the events of this year won't have effects that last in 2017 and beyond or that 2017 won't prove to be worse particularly because people often need at least a year to recover from losses or trauma if not longer. However, the year of insanity will have ended and that's worth celebrating. We cannot let one year hold us back from progress, from trying to gain happiness for ourselves and others.

Live in a way your idols would have been proud of. Whether that's through monetary donations, volunteer work, fighting oppression through sarcasm and sass, or creating beautiful things to make up for the uglier parts of society. Do it! I believe in you.

For everyone traumatized by events this year, who lost loved ones, and who lived in fear this year, I love you and you deserved better than this. I hope for you in particular, that next year is so much better than this year and that recovery from whatever you went through goes well.

Make 2017 better and safer for all. Happy New Year!