2020, The Year of Clear Vision

Awake, arise or be for ever fall’n.

John Milton, Paradise Lost

Now tell me, what is it that you truly desire?

Lucifer Morningstar

2020 has been many things. It has been stressful to most, and traumatic to many. One thing it hasn’t been is dull. To use a bad pun, it has been a year that provided many a clear 20/20 vision.

Personally, it didn’t change my life a lot. Given my interests, most of which could be accomplished virtually, and having been used to virtual connections for several years. It was neither stressful nor traumatic. I do enjoy meeting people, travelling and having new experiences, so I can’t in all honestly say it was a very joyous year. It was fine.

Really, one area in which it was great was in learning about myself and others, no question about that.

What did people do a few hundred years ago, even a hundred years ago? How did they spend their time? They had no cars, no radio, no TV or phones, and even electricity would have been rare, if at all. How much fun one could have with candles and singing to one another? Or, could they have had fun?

Some of the greatest creations and discoveries of mankind did happen several hundred and thousands of years ago. Humans are richer for them in multiple ways. Many of our newer discoveries arose on the backs of the older ones. In many areas, the discovery of the inner world was in far wiser in context, the farther in years we travel back.

Many who have experienced their 3 scores and ten years that their gods gave them, would have experienced in their childhood that once the sun set it was family time, often quality time. Was that a poorer quality of life than time spent in pubs and restaurants, discos and operas, smoking and drinking, watching television or playing video games? How much have these technological advanced and sophisticated pathways to enjoyment, that ‘we truly desire now’ cause us not to ‘awake and arise, but be forever fallin’?

Going back in time is neither possible, nor wise. Sweet golden dreams of the past, when relived, may often morph into bitter nightmares. What is possible is to reflect on the past, without reliving it, as a learning to help live our emerging future.

2020 taught me how to. It got me to realize how insignificant we are in this universe. An invisible organism held hundreds of millions, perhaps soon a billion or more, helpless and captive. The more one thought they were above it all, the more they suffered and caused others to suffer. It taught us to distinguish between good and evil. Those who haven’t learnt that yet, surely will, and experience hell on earth, while they live.

Humans are both divine and demonic, good and evil, selfish and selfless, all at the same time. We make that choice. Sometimes, we accept the balance. As in the Shamanic story of the white and the black wolves within, we choose who or what we wish to be. 2020 has been the year of that choice.

Whatever choice we make will define us in times to come. It will be our Creation.