I mean, don’t get me wrong, it sucks not being able to travel and I feel for anyone who was economically crushed during this time or for those who got sick or lost loved ones.

But on a whole,I don’t really see 2020 as worse than any other year. If anything I think being forced to deal with panic and quarantine and social isolation and economic insecurity was extremely good for the personal growth of every single person on this planet.

I could make a very long list of bad things that happened, most immediately, the closing of many local businesses, but why harp on that when what’s done is done? There is more than a little silver lining here.

Let’s not forget that they were children starving, diseases spreading and economic disasters before 2020.

Let’s remember that what we see as negative can lead to something we consider much more positive.

Let’s try and look at the positive.

Self reflection for the Individual

Many of us were forced to face our fears and overcome them. Many were forced to face harsh realities that were not new to 2020. Many overcame loneliness, found their passion or purpose, realized how overworked they were, how little they honored and respected themselves and their intuition.

If in 2021 or 2022 or 2025 you find yourself having the best year of your life, you will have 2020 to thank for it.

I have personally overcome my addiction to social interaction and my desire to escape silence and isolation. It doesn’t mean I don’t love being social, but now I no longer NEED it like a drug. I learned focus. I can stay focused for hours at a time when before I could only handle a few minutes before I needed a break.

What about you? What have you learned and how have you grown?

A unifying experience

While not everyone agrees on the danger posed by this illness or the solutions to the problem, we were all there, we all experienced this moment in human history together. That is powerful.

While it’s easy to focus on “how stupid someone is for not wearing a mask” or “how stupid someone is for wearing a mask”, how stupid this political party or that group of people are, I think this is all just our old habits in play and that under the surface, people are more understanding and empathetic than they’ve ever been. People who used to hate the idea of a government handout can now appreciate that some people are fucked and it’s not their fault and that as long as there is a government, they need to do SOMETHING to fix it or disappear. Once again, they may disagree on WHAT needs to be done but a new level of empathy and understanding has been reached. At the same time, those like myself who thought that all we needed were more handouts were put in a position where we HAD to figure out how to make ends meet and stopped being so arrogant and overly idealistic about our charitable intentions because we had to figure out how to eat. I feel like 2020 whipped me into shape.

If there is one lesson I learned in 2020 it’s that the unjust nature of the world is not my concern until I’ve gotten my own house in order. I can complain forever about how unfair the system is and how it cannot function without losers and how I hate that we aren’t more compassionate, but at the end of the day, have I take care of myself? If not, how the hell can I hope to make life better or more fair for others?

I still think many things politicians and companies do are wrong, but I need to allocate my energy in a way that maximizes effect if I want to do anything about it. Worrying about Monsanto or whatever can come once I’ve turned my life into a positive feedback loop. The harder that is, the stronger it’ll make me which will allow me to do more good in the future. With every compromise I make, I gain a new skill, and I don’t have to internalize anything that doesn’t feel right to me.

A new perspective on old paradigms

The unsustainability of our current world culture has been exposed. Fewer and fewer people have power and influence over the system and markets, the middle class is constantly shrinking, the environment (whether you believe in global warming or not) is under immense stress from our consumerist habits and negligence. We all had a feeling it wasn’t sustainable but now that is something we can discuss and brainstorm solutions for out in public and we can find more and more support for alternative solutions.

New media is popping up, new ways of doing things and new technologies. More and more people are opting out of the rat race and experimenting and this can only be a good thing. Now people are finally questioning even the monetary system and looking for alternatives. Soon the concept of a nation-state will become fluid and flexible and while that has some dangers, it also has a lot of opportunities.

A transfer of wealth

Bitcoin has allowed for a huge leak of capital in the giant behemoth institutions and financial system.

No doubt the people with power will find a way to hold on to their power as long as they can, and new corrupt players may emerge but many regular people, including many who are reading this have been able to get in on the game thanks to crypto. As I heard someone say today, this was the first time retail had a chance to get in on a major asset before the institutions. I don’t pledge allegiance to bitcoin or crypto, but this early mover advantage for regular people is exciting! It means a whole new variety of power players who are different from the old ones and may be more holistic in thinking, Hive is just the community for them!

For some of us, just $5000-$10,000 in gains was life changing and could allow us to move out of a toxic environment or start out towards financial independence.

For those like myself, I pushed myself through hard times because I didn’t want to cash out and I hope that my efforts will be rewarded in the next year or two.

The decentralization of mainstream culture

This is as “two edged sword”ish as it gets. I personally see the way information and pop culture is splintering into little niches and communities as a good thing. It allows us all to be free of a dominant narrative.

The only problem is that we need more diplomacy between different niches and groups so that the echo-chamber doesn’t turn into a self fulfilling delusion and so that “tribalism” can become a good word instead of a bad one.

I love tribes. I want us to organize in tribes. Those tribes just need to work on having positive relationships with each other. I believe the reason they often do not is that this lack of an authoritative source of information and culture is creating a vacuum and many of us don’t now how to fill it so we get scared and defensive. This is very new and we aren’t used to it yet.

A society of leaders

Since all our leaders and hero’s are being defamed and exposed, it forces us to find our own empowerment, leading o ourselves.

This is a messy process! But it’s a necessary one for self-empowerment and a more evolved society.

We are not all doomed, I see cancel culture being questioned more and more, the social media giants still have control but they are losing ground. In the US, people like Dave Chappelle and Joe Rogan and Krystal And Sagar at the Hill give me hope that a new moderate is emerging which can call out the bullshit of the left and the right while also helping to elevate the more sane voices on both sides. There is much more of that at the ground level.

Possibilities

In order to create something new, we often need to shake things up a bit. If this year wasn’t a chance, I don’t know what is.

It’s going to be hard, we need to pick ourselves up, individually and as communities, but when we do the whole landscape will prove itself to be very different and we will be able to make a much bigger impact than ever before with a proactive and collaborative attitude.

Thank you 2020, you were a bitch, but in the words of the great Osho (enlightened teacher/con-artist)....

“I love bitches”

🌎🌎🌎🌎🌎🌎🌎🌎🌎🌎🌎🌎🌎

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