What I want my future self to know about 2020

We all have visions of what our future will look like. Where we’ll be living, what our financial situation will be, what kind of person we’ll become... and life can get frustrating because ultimately we can’t predict what will happen. Yet with all that in mind, I decided to write a letter to my future self… well kinda. This post is more of a reflection (more of a rant haha) of everything crazy going on in the world right now. Hopefully someday I will stumble upon this post and have one of those moments where I think to myself “I lived through that!”

Have you ever had one of those moments when something devastating happens in your world and it feels like the rug has been ripped out from under you? Because I certainly feel 2020 has been one of those. 2020 has been off to a bad start. Coming into a new year I typically expect a new, fresh start with positivity, excitement and new goals. But sadly, this year has begun with devastation. There have been many heartbreaking tragedies just within the first couple months of this year.

Let's start with the conflict between Iran and the US. The new decade's first weeks began with the United States openly targeting and killing a foreign military leader for the first time since World War II. The US army dropped a bomb and killed the respected Iranian general Qasem Soleimani. This caused millions to turn out in the streets of Iraq and Iran in mourning and protest. Because Iran was so angry they carried missile attacks on US military bases. Now i’m no expert in history by all means but the fact of the matter is we started 2020 with a global conflict.

In the first week of January, the Coronavirus was also announced as an outbreak. But we’ll get to that later. In the end of January, the tragedy of a helicopter crash killed retired NBA basketball player Kobe Bryant, his 13-year-old daughter Gianna Bryant, baseball coach John Altobelli, five other passengers, and the pilot. Bryant retired in 2016 as a five-time NBA champion, 11-time All-NBA first-team selection, 2008 MVP, two-time Finals MVP, 18-time All-Star and four-time All-Star MVP who spent his 20-year career with the Los Angeles Lakers. Not gonna lie, this one had me in shock for a while; my brown parents even were a fan of Kobe.

2020 also brought bushfires in Australia. Nearly 500 million animals along with 26 people and 2000 homes have been lost in Australia's wildfires. And the bad news continues. The latest news that has been dominating the headlines is the spread of the novel coronavirus, which has now claimed more than 7,949 lives since it first broke out on 31 December 2019. The wave of fear has induced the masses of society into a spiral of panic, stockpiling quantities of anything. Hospitals are becoming overwhelmed. Travel restrictions are becoming so far reaching that weddings, graduations, family reunions, work and school has been canceled. And the Olympic Games...that could be cancelled too. Can you even imagine?

The epidemic fears are limiting trade, harming partnerships, business, and the market. All of these factors are ultimately culminating in a global recession. COVID-19 is nowhere near over, sadly. It might be coming to a city, a hospital, a friend, even a family member near you at some point (lets hope not). But expect it. Don’t wait to be surprised.

It’s only the beginning of 2020, it can be said that starting off so bad in only the first couple months of the year sets up the expectations for the entire year. It is also important to take into consideration that while a string of bad events may pop up from time to time, it doesn’t necessarily detract from the overall state of the world.

Stay safe,

xo