They say change is the only permanent thing in life. Yet there are so many things that have not changed, the inferno continues to burn. Freedom of speech is policed by cancel culture. Police brutality continues to spit in our faces. Everywhere, we began to feel the chokehold of the Coronavirus pandemic, removing all traces of a life we had become accustomed to. Maybe atrocities are a part of mankind like the the lion eating the gazelle. Tormenting those whose aims are manipulated by institutionalisation. We have learnt that the universe owes you nothing.
So everything is temporary and the predictability of life has been removed. Sometimes we have less power, whilst simultaneously having more power than we have ever known intimately. Which is probably why many people feel like they are unable to cope, or cope less than they did before. 50% of 16-24 year olds have experienced ‘lockdown loneliness’ (Office for National Statistics.) For some, staying indoors is a threat to sanity, like a suicide note you keep in your bedside table in case of emergencies. I have always been fascinated with dystopian fiction, never did I think I would live it.
Yet, you cannot use nihilism as an excuse. Every moment matters because it’s yours. We now know what the world is really made of. We have seen Donald Trump refuse to leave the White House. Which is the only thing more unbelievable than him being elected as President of the US in the first place. So I guess we’ve seen it all.
2020 has taught us that hope cannot be taken from you. Simulated distractions are at an all-time high when in reality, achievement is a result of fierce discipline, unrelenting development and positive mental attitude. Every generation, we agree that now more than ever, individuality is what will allow the diamonds to shine in the dirt. Despite obstacles thrown in your direction.
Someone told me that liberation will eat itself. Hate will always exist, intentions will be more meticulously concealed as traditional ideology is shunned. I pray for humanity and the resolution of injustices we are aware of and the those we are not. I once read that bitter people are those whose dreams have died. Do you know what makes you happy? What makes you tick? Some people don’t. And those that do, have an easier time adapting to change.
We have learnt to cherish every moment of freedom and health we are able to spend with our loved ones. Constant fear is a mental stain for many people, stuck in a war without autonomy to plan their own destiny. Judged by mere humans who are as fickle as they are fallible. The future is bright for those who are able to accept the things they can’t control and the bravery to change the things they can.
– Tashauna
