6 Lessons from 2020, 1 Wish for 2021

A year ago, we started a new decade. And no quote can better sum up the start of this decade than this: 

"There are decades where nothing happens; and there are weeks where decades happen." 

The year 2020 was, besides many other things, an accelerant in many areas. The last year was also filled with lessons and reminders:

I - We are all connected.

What affects one of us affects all of us. National boundaries do not divide us. Neither does religion, wealth, politics, race, gender, or anything else. Despite all the lines we draw, there are no boundaries powerful enough to keep our fates apart. We need to remember that.

II - We are all responsible for each other.

A decision taken by a single person can and will affect everyone. No man is an island. Therefore we need to own up to that collective responsibility for each other. We need to act with more regard for others and not only in our self-interest. We need to take care of each other, always.

III - We need each other.

When we most long for connection, it can be the hardest to find in a time of crisis and uncertainty. Possessions and achievements do not bring us any solace. Only connection with others can. We need to nurture and value our relationships - they are the highest good.

IV - Our systems are fragile.

We live in delicate balances. Whether we look at our economic systems, our political systems, our healthcare systems, or the ecological system we live in - they are all finely tuned and fragile. Small changes can have an immense impact. Everything works most of the time, giving us a false feeling of stability. We need to be mindful of that fragility.

V - Control is an illusion.

We feel the masters of our fate in regular times - yet nothing could be further from the truth. A year like this reveals how little control we have. There are very few things indeed in our power - our thoughts and actions. How we perceive and interpret events and how we act in response is what we truly control. We need to find strength in that.

VI - Nothing lasts forever.

Good times do not last. And neither do bad times. Life is incredibly adaptive and will continue. We are incredibly adaptive and will continue. We observe, we rage, we accept, we change, and we move on. If there is one thing we truly excel at, it is adapting to new situations. And after the darkest night, the bright morning will return.

"Anything real begins with the fiction of what could be."

What we make of these lessons is up to us: Whether we seize opportunities in the change or whether we try to resist it. Whether we wrestle with the challenges or whether we stand by and watch. The choice is ours. And we have the choice - we always do.

While this decade is full of challenges, it is also full of hope. The future will be shaped by those who dare to dream and to act. To the crazy ones, who believe they can make a difference and who consequently do. The future is not something that happens to us; we all together are actively shaping with every little act.

My wish for 2021 is this: Let us all make more conscious decisions about the future we want to create. Let us imagine what we want life to be like and shape that future through our work. Let us keep in mind not only the necessary profits but first and foremost the implications of our work for people and the planet. Let us design accessibly, inclusively, and sustainably - with optimism, generosity, persistence, and respect.

For this new year, I look forward to shaping that future together with you. Here's to the new year and to making the most of it!