The calendar tells me that another year is about to start. This time, it is not just another year, it is a whole new decade. (Does that mean we need to make 10 times the normal amount of New Year’s resolutions?)
It is nearly the year 2020, and I think this should be an extra special year. If we were ever going to have some widespread clarity, it would be in the year 20/20, wouldn’t it?
I realize that 20/20 vision does not mean perfect vision, (and really what would perfection mean anyways?) But, it does mean seeing things clearly even if they are not right in front of you. This is my wish for all of us in 2020. I would like us all to have the clarity of perspective to see what is happening in the world around us, even if it is not on our street or in our neighbourhood.
If we each could see what it was like to be starving, isolated, beaten, ignored and discriminated against, perhaps we would feel a rush of gratitude about our own lives and opportunities. That gratitude could then be channeled into more love, acceptance and forgiveness to share with the rest of the world.
I would of course love to see 2020 as the year that Trump is removed from office, but I also recognize that removing Trump is like removing a deformed mole while leaving a cancerous mass just below the skin. Trump is not the root of the problem, he is only a symptom of the ignorance and hatred that is currently running rampant throughout our world.
Each Trump supporter has problems with their vision. (In many cases I think they probably can’t see past the ends of their noses.) It is miraculous to me that some are able to see past all of Trump’s lies and deceits and yet not be able to see the people who are living with disabilities, the LGTBQ+ community, the visible minorities, the religious minorities or the individual humans who don’t know where their next meal is coming from.
Now I don’t mean to pick on Trump (heaven forbid I give him a complex), but as the loudest, most consistent hater in North America right now, he stands as a symbol for everything that is wrong in the world.
If only 2020 could bring vision that was not skin deep. If it could be the year to focus on what unites us instead of what divides us. No matter what label you affix to another human, they are still first and foremost human. (Even if they don’t get to share in the gift of privilege). We are much stronger when we hold each other up, instead of pushing each other down.
The 1920s was a decade of change and advancement of human rights, but where have we gone since then? Civil rights, human rights, environmental rights we need to see these with 20/20 vision if we want there to be a populated planet in 2120 for our children to celebrate.
In the meantime, I welcome the 2020s with gratitude and curiosity. In the 2020s, for instance, I’m curious about what it will be like to be living with 4 teenagers, and I’m grateful to have the chance to find out.
2019 was not an easy year for me, but I wouldn’t wish it away. It has taught me more about the connections that I need and want in my life. It has reminded me to be grateful for what I can do and the moments I can enjoy. There have been lessons about joy, gratitude, presence and acceptance. I am still here. I am still learning. I am glad you are here with me.
May the year 2020 bring you strength and clarity. Whatever adventures and challenges the 20s bring, I hope you will be blessed by 20/20 vision to see the love and magic even when it is hidden in the muck.