After an inarguably difficult year, I think most of us are just happy to move on to what will hopefully be an easier 2021. However, I think it's important to consider all of the positive things that came from an unprecedented halt in the typical, fast-paced forward motion of global society. The truth is, life was not at all easy for a lot of people before 2020 and it will not magically transform once the year ends.
Were you really that happy before the pandemic, or do you just not know how to live without constantly moving on to the next thing as quickly as possible?
We were running around under a sky we barely looked at with people we really didn't know, or perhaps even like, all too well. If we accomplish anything this year, it should be a better understanding of what matters to us and why. So, in the interest of moving forward with some genuine consideration for what we're moving towards, here are 8 things we should not leave behind in 2020.
A Healthier Environment
According to Science Direct, the decrease in automobile use and polluting activities during the pandemic cleaned up the Earth's air, improved water quality, decreased noise pollution, and restored peace to many natural habitats for wildlife. As the Earth's temperature continues to increase every year, this could, very literally, be our last chance to prevent the incoming climate crisis.
Family Time
Yes, it's cheesy, but we only have so much time to spend with our parents, grandparents, and siblings. If you were lucky enough to have family nearby during the pandemic, the quarantines and lockdowns gave you time with them that you wouldn't have had otherwise and may not have again for some time. Even if you don't consider those related to you family, more time in whichever place you called home was a chance to really talk to and support those closest to you, free from the usual social bustle and often-shallow conventions of "normal" life. Let's bring that much-needed substance and human understanding into the years to come, even when the restaurants and bars open back up.
Creativity
Boredom begets creativity, and creativity is so important to human brains. Whether you painted, sewed, cooked, baked, or wrote, making things is grounding and purposeful and it can tell us important things about what we feel and enjoy. If the pace of daily life picks back up, don't forget how cool it is to use your mind ands in new, undiscovered ways.
Mental Health Hygiene
Between health anxiety and isolation, 2020 was one of the worst years for mental health in a long time. However, the added stress forced many of us to develop habits that helped us cope with the extra stress or get us out of bed in the morning. Those habits can only make us better in 2021. Caring for your brain is as necessary as putting on deodorant, not a "luxury" or an extra special activity for "when you have time." Only a healthy brain can meet its full potential and, like our bodies, our brains can always improve.
Social Activism
In 2020, the internet was used for good in a big, big way. For many people, it was a social reckoning that was a long time coming. Others learned about systemic racism and police violence for the first time. If you have the internet savvy to read this article, you should be well aware of the murders and nationwide protests. Hopefully, you're trying to learn more about the structural violence that black people and people of color deal with on a daily basis in the US and beyond. So, as we dream of approaching "normalcy" remember that "normal" was dangerous and unjust for a massive portion of the population well before 2020.
Consideration For the Elderly
The US has one of the worst systems of eldercare in the world. Ageism is foundational to our economy, healthcare, and social structures. A lot of people, I mean a lot of people, justified their laissez faire attitude about the virus because it "only affects old people." Elderly people are humans who deserve the same level of respect and consideration as anyone else. You might feel invincible, but, unless you're a Cullen, you will get old. When you do, you might not feel so great about being literally counted out of the land of the living, simply because you're no longer "productive."
Taking Our Time
Efficiency and productivity are useful, but structuring our entire lives around them is asinine. Can we seriously not find long term meaning in our lives if we're not "getting things done"? There is value in sitting down for a meal instead of eating at your computer, taking a walk, or taking the time to check in on a friend at the end of the day. We did these things when we "had the time," but they should be included in our "normal."
Better Structures for the Disabled
We changed the way our entire country functioned over night because of a health crisis that could effect the entire population, yet we continue to refuse to make even the most basic changes to include disabled people in our society. There is no reason that our modern, technological world should not be accessible to all humans. Now that we know that things can function differently to suit different needs, let's use that newfound flexibility to rebuild a society for everyone, not just the able-bodied and neurotypical.
Instead of romanticizing the pre-2020 "normalcy" and hoping it returns in 2021, we should consider what we learned in the past year and grow to be better than "normal," perhaps even expand our understanding of normalcy. 2020 may have repeatedly punched us all in the face and kicked us while we were down, but, sometimes, bad systems need to be broken down before new, better ones can replace them. Things probably (dear God, hopefully) can't get much worse, so cheers to growing in the most anxiously awaited new year of all time.
