2020 LESSONS LEARNED

What a year. We saw the best of mankind but also its worse—difficult times always show the real character of people. Economic imbalances, racial unrest, terror, front line healthcare workers risking their lives to save another, the ignorance of some, the final downfall of individualism and the inability to rapidly understand that we live in a connected world, are just some of the key takeaways that defined 2020.

"Our planet and humanity responded."

But our planet responded and showed signs of recovery driven mostly by a significant fall in pollution as commerce slowed down globally. The air quality in many regions of the world improved and so did the quality of our oceans. Science prevailed and provided valuable insights (whether we will heed these insights is a different topic). Humanity responded by improvising, finding ways to communicate differently and work together despite having to do so in your PJs while talking to a webcam for more than 10 hours a day. We learned to move along with it, to be patient, even if at times we’d rather scream out “to hell with it.”

The year also brought grief, sadness and difficult times for many families and friends across the globe. To-date, more than 4 million lives worldwide have been lost due to the coronavirus. Social distancing, lockdowns, self-quarantining, essential workers, testing positive or negative, became key words in our everyday lives. Powerful weaponry and war arsenals from the world’s greatest nations proved useless in combating COVID-19. In the meantime, we still have a long way to go to vaccinate the planet (whether you agree to vaccinate or not is also different topic) and we have yet to understand the long-term impact of the virus on one’s health.?

Despite a disappointing level of global leadership from governments, we found a way to navigate unprecedented times. And if the flu pandemic of 1918 that killed 50 million people thought us anything, it’s that we will recover. In fact, it is likely that the global downturn inflicted by COVID-19 will pave the way for universal health care, a renaissance of modern commerce, better epidemiology, hopefully more accountable (and less greedy) politicians, new sought after travel destination and a new era in medical science driven by mRNA technology, CRISPR and artificial intelligence.?

While most are ready for things to go back to the old normal, we are slowly realizing with each passing moment that we might never completely return to the way things were—perhaps a good thing. It’s in that spirit and out of desire to share some lessons learned for generations to come, that I impart my four short lessons learned from this year.?

For starts, “our differences cannot divide us”—having a difference of opinion, cannot be a reason to part ways. But if you do find yourself doing so, then you know without an ounce of doubt that you never truly had much in common nor shared many fundamental beliefs.?

Secondly, “our planet needs to breathe.”?For now, at least, it’s our only home and we ought to care for it not only for our own sake but for generations to come. Humanity has been given a temporary pass to live on this planet but forsake its occupancy policies and rules and it will surely balance things out and likely not in humanity’s favor.?

"We live in a globally interconnected eco-system."

Third, “we are all connected.” This pandemic has affirmed an age-old viewpoint that the philosophy of?individualism is dead. While I believe we are our own rulers, that we are responsible for our own lives and that we possess the power within each of us to overcome any obstacle, we cannot do it alone. No individual, no village, no country can isolate and solely survive within its borders. We live in a globally interconnected eco-system that defines economic structures, and a global system of health and wellbeing. If we’ve learned anything it’s that “closed boarders” don’t work. In the case of COVID-19, they may help limit the impact of a global pandemic, and provide some false sense of security, but there is no such thing as creating a “bubble.” To that end, we better find a way to have a collective global impact—if we don’t, then surely the planet will course correct for us and it will do so in ways, we cannot even begin to comprehend—causality at its finest.?

Finally, "science defines our future." There is no other way to navigate a growing population, demand for scarce resources, complex global supply-chains, and our evolving views on microbiology. It is science (together with a dramatic shift in social consciousness) that will help us make the best of our existence if not save our state of being.

I end with a quote a previously highlighted from the book “The Plague.” If you haven’t read it, please do so. At the end of the book the author Albert Camus, delivers the following passage:

“And, indeed, as he (Dr. Rieux) listened to the cries of joy rising from the town, Rieux remembered that such joy is always imperiled. He knew what those jubilant crowds did not know but could have learned from books: that the plague bacillus never dies or disappears for good; that it can lie dormant for years and years in furniture and linen-chests; that it bides its time in bedrooms, cellars, trunks, and bookshelves; and that perhaps the day would come when, for the bane and enlightening of men, it would rouse up its rats again and send them forth to die in a happy city.”

Hopefully we will heed the COVID-19 warning…..for we may not get another chance.

- Anthony DeLima