Imagine being on a plane to another country or even a bus to Malaysia. Sounds really good at this point of time am I right? Well, I guess we have to wait a while more for that to happen. On the other hand, 2020 has been a very different year in comparison to other years. It’s a year that we envisioned it to be “Our Year” instead we got the unexpected. In simpler terms, “We got the reality instead of the expectation”. Throughout the year, not only did we, individuals faced our own challenges but worldwide, everyone has dealt with many challenges and obstacles. Some key event that happened throughout the year would be the Covid-19 pandemic, Black-Lives Matter Movement and the Bombing in Beirut. In this essay, we are going to go into a deeper recap of some highlights in 2020. So, sit tight!
Many of us would agree that its feels like forever since we last didn’t have to use mask upon going outside. The Covid-19 pandemic has impacted each and every one of our lives. One example would be during the Circuit Breaker period, we were placed into a position of doing work or school fully online at home for the very first time. At first, many of us would acknowledge to the fact that it was tough to get use to but as time went by it was much easier to do things from home. Nonetheless, during this period of time not only did many people come into contact with the virus but many families lost their loved ones. On a separate note, it also caused many working adults to work more and caused many individuals to feel mentally and physically weak due to the lack of physical interactions, loss of jobs and constantly being at home on a daily basis. Despite all this, many scientists all around the world have been working hard to produce the right vaccine in such a short span of time. In Singapore, health workers are to receive the vaccine from December 30th and Elderly aged 70 and above will receive the vaccine in February 2021. Nonetheless, it is still vital for us to practice social distancing and to be safe.
George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery and Breonna Taylor. Do those names ring a bell? Well, these are just some victims that lost their lives due to the failed justice system in America. Ever since the video of how George Floyd died was released onto the internet, many citizens of America and all over the world have come forward to address this matter. According to the New York Times, on June 6, protest in America peaked resulting in half a million people turning up at approximately 550 places in United States. Some believe that the Black Lives Matter Movement could be the largest movement in the U.S. History. From June till this day there has been a number of improvements that have been made to the laws in America. For example, In Minneapolis, the City Council pledged to dismantle its police department and in New York, lawmakers repealed a law that kept police disciplinary records secret. Having said all this, it is still important for each and every one of us to raise awareness on such matters to ensure that someday in the near future we can achieve an equal and fair society.
On 4th August 2020, Beirut, Lebanon had a massive explosion in which resulted to at least 135 deaths and injuring more than 4000 people according to emergency services. In addition, many citizens were left homeless after that bombing occurred. According to CNBC News, “The explosion, which blew out windows and destroyed property for miles around, has been initially blamed on 2,750 tons of ammonium nitrate stored in an unsecured warehouse, without safety measures, since 2014 at Beirut’s cargo port. The New York Times, citing public records, reported that Lebanese officials knew about the risks for several years but did not act on them”. The video of the bombing had become a viral video on the Internet at that point of time in which allowed many organisations all over the world to start raising funds for the affected victims to ensure that they have proper healthcare, food, water and other necessary facilities. Likewise, many citizens worldwide had donated and raised awareness during that crucial period of time. On that note, it is still extremely critical for all of us to help and raise awareness to prevent such issues like this from reoccurring the near future.
2020 is one year that all of us thought would be “Our Year”. However, it turned out to be the exact opposite due to the countless of tragic deaths and major events that happened throughout the year. However, some would agree that this year has also taught us many key things in life such as to be strong, innovative and grateful to the things and people we have in our life. Personally, this year has allowed me to gain new friendships, new interesting memories and learn new key values in life in which I would have probably never had learnt if not for the events that happened throughout the year. “Tomorrow, is the first blank page of a 365-page book. Write a good one”, likewise let’s all make sure we write our 2021 book with a whole new storyline. With everything being said, wishing you guys an advance Happy New Year!
Nisha‘s blog 