So here we are… on the cusp of ending the year 2019 and the decade that it caps off. And what a decade this has been… from natural disasters to man-made calamities to political upheavals to horrendous crimes to an overwhelming sense of negativity and uncertainty around the world for different reasons. The climate crisis has reached a critical point, with no hope in sight of the world coming together to reverse the trend. The global economy has become ever more polarized with an ever-widening gap between the haves and the have nots. Individual rights and freedoms are being trampled upon across the world. Protectionism and regionalism are creating barriers between people who just want to live their lives in peace. Right-wing fanaticism is pushing democracies and liberal nations to the brink of fascism and anarchy. Women and children continue to be exploited and brutalized with society and systems failing over and over again to give them the safety and security they have a basic human right to. Warmongers continue to push their destructive agendas and further enhance their influence on global politics.
What disturbs me the most is the global trend of falling levels of basic empathy… empathy towards our fellow humans, towards the countless endangered species, towards global issues that potentially threaten our very existence. Buried under all this negativity, it is a bit difficult for me to pay much heed to the positive things that have happened in this decade. And I am sure there have been many of those. I just can’t help but end this year feeling rather dejected and disappointed with where we humans are on the timeline of our civilization. I can only hope that the new decade will bring with it better sense and a fresh influx of positive forces that will be strong enough to not just stop the downward spiral, but also trigger a change in direction for human civilization. Because now, more than ever before, change is really needed. I hope I can do whatever I can to be a part of this positive transformation.
On the personal front, I am even more grateful to my family and friends for standing by me at all times. They have been and continue to be my biggest strength and driving force. Thank you all for instilling in me the will to stay focused and keep working towards a better tomorrow.
On that note, I wish you all a very happy new year and leave you with the hope that better days lie ahead of us and we can indeed become the change we want to see in the world.
Ani.