If you asked everyone in America what the worst year of their life was, it’s pretty likely that many of them would say 2020. The pandemic, the death of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and many others, the continued reign of Trump and the deaths of many beloved public figures — it’s no surprise Time Magazine has declared 2020 the worst year ever.
With that being said, the dawn of 2021 does not guarantee any change. For change to happen we have to make it happen ourselves. New Year’s resolutions can be the perfect way to help yourself and the greater community change for the better, even if on a very small scale.
With 2020 at a close, the desire for improvement of body and mind is stronger than ever. I’ve personally been inside for what seems like the entire year, but my experience is on the better side of things. Many people are understandably struggling with their mental health after a year of lockdown and tragedy. Sadly, the lockdown and tragedy are not things that can be resolutioned away. Though we cannot control much of what is happening, we can work to improve our own mental health and perspective. Choosing to watch less news or change where you get your news is just one example of a small change that could improve your experience in 2021.
People are suffering on a scale that is difficult to comprehend, which can make New Year’s resolutions appear trivial. But even a small change like tipping essential workers more can make a big difference in the larger community.
These ideas are especially important for young people entering the workforce. Since the job market and education have been seriously disrupted, it can be easy to be pessimistic about our futures. The country is in turmoil and the older generations don’t appear to have made much progress in rectifying social and political unrest. This is all the more reason to do everything in our power to improve not only ourselves, but the world we live in — and that can start with something as small as a New Year’s resolution.
In all likelihood, 2021 poses a threat due to people’s attitude toward the new year. Many people are excited just to have survived 2020, and will likely be less careful and even celebrate the end of the year. It is perfectly okay to celebrate surviving what was a terrible 365 days, but it is also important to think about how we want the next 365 to go. The intense political polarization that has made up America’s history has become violent and people are still unnecessarily dying every day from COVID-19. It may seem like these are impossible odds to conquer, but if people take this opportunity to choose to listen more in 2021, volunteer to help provide COVID-19 resources or even just to go outside more and pass on kindness, we can start to make a change.
People have continued to mysticize 2020 as though it was some unavoidable curse, and in this sense they also mysticize 2021 as the escape. This kind of mentality can be very problematic because it takes responsibility away from the individual. We should be working to make every day better rather than just expecting it to happen.