As 2016 comes to a close we have to accept that fact that 2017 is just right around the corner and that the year can go in so many different ways.
No matter what year it is, the world will have it's ups and downs and we will not be able to stop that– but whether we focus on the positive or negative outputs is up to us. 2016 is not to be blamed.
As we look at what happened in the past twelve months, we can see that 2016 brought us some saddening things such as the recent deaths of Debbie Reynolds and Carrie Fisher, the new President-Elect being Donald Trump, terrorist attacks in France, wars in Allepo, the loss of Cecil and Harambe, the Orlando shooting, the list could go on and on and on...
But, luckily, the year also brought some good into the world even though no one seems to want to acknowledge the fact that those too can exist, and yes that list can go on and on and on as well.
Here is a congregation of unpopular opinions that you cannot ignore containing a large list of reasons as to how 2016 was actually good to us...
1. 2016 is proving to be one of the biggest years for healthcare technology innovations including artificial retinas, advances in prosthetics, and even a Tricorder (yes, you Star Trek nerds. THE Tricorder).
2. The 2016 Nobel Prize in literature was awarded to Bob Dylan for his poetic lyrics in his songs. If you've never listened to him now is the time.
3. The once male dominated medical field for Doctor of Veterinary and Medical Science graduate degrees is now being dominated by females, whom of which now take over 78 percent of the seats in Graduate School.
4. Simone Biles stood up for the sexist treatment of women in the olympics– a huge game changer.
"I am not the next Usain Bolt or Michael Phelps. I am the first Simone Biles." ~ SB
5. The Giant Panda is no longer endangered after decades of conservational efforts.
6. The same goes for the Amur Tiger, Arabian Oryx, Greater One Horned Rhino, Chatham Petrel, Iberian Lynx.
7. Women now represent about 57 percent of the enrollment in U.S colleges. Quite an accomplishment after starting with being the gender who wasn't allowed to get educated.
8. Caster Semenya, another Rio Olympics competitor, has sparked up the discussion pertaining to her having an intersex condition (ambiguous reproductive and sexual anatomy) while competing. This led to the opening up of the topic of not only transgender competitors, but also sex vs. gender in competitions. She took home a gold medal for the women's 800-meter dash.
9. You yourself are an entire year older.
10. New music has come out, probably from some of your favorite bands, probably from bands you've never heard of but should listen to... Maybe it's given you a new friend, maybe it has changed your mood, maybe it has saved your life– but it happened.
11. The gene responsible for ALS has been found due to the popularity of the "ice bucket challenge" and donation efforts.
12. The Ozone Layer is repairing itself?? Let's keep it this way. Reduce, Reuse, Recycle. Be smart, and be a green thumb.
13. You remember Leonardo DiCaprio and how he has never gotten an Oscar for all of his AMAZING performances as an actor? Yeah, well he does now.
14. Harriet Tubman is to replace Andrew Jackson on the $20 bill. You know, the American abolitionist? The one who used the underground railroad to save so many slaves? Her.
15. HAMILTON MIXTAPE!! Ugh seriously. Good singers... Good Songs... The only thing that could be better is for tickets to the real show to not cost an arm, a leg, and a kidney.
16. SPEAKING OF HAMILTON... #neverforget when the Hamilton cast called out VP Elect Mike Pence. Take that, politics.
17. New cancer treatments are hitting the trials and are proving to be effective, and increasing survival rates.
18. Approximately 2.7 million shelter animals have been adopted this past year.
19. Pluto might be a planet again. More research will tell, but regardless, we love you for who you are pluto. #effthehaters
20. NASA's Kepler mission has a confirmed count of 1,284 new planets discovered, with more under the study to find out if they fit the description.
All I have to say to all of these is #thanks2016. This list only skims the surface.
Don't think that the New Year rolling in means there won't still be the deaths of famous people, shooting sprees, wars, deaths of animals, and even more bad news. There will be plenty. Luckily, there is enough room for good to happen too, it's just your perspective on it.
2017 is not our savior, but we can still savor it.
BRING ON THE NEW YEAR
