Think back to December for a moment. How did you spend December thirty-first, the last few moments of 2019? Whether you were at a raging party, on your couch with your family, passed out next to a box of fried rice, or sound asleep in bed, I don't think any of us could have predicted what was about to come next.
January first, 2020. The start of a new decade. For people my age or thereabout, the start of a big one. This is the decade many of us will graduate, move out, get "adult" jobs, meet our future spouses, get married, buy a house, start having kids. In January, I was scouring the internet looking for an internship for this summer, hopefully one that would pay me. It's safe to say that is no longer on my list of concerns.
If you had told me in January that in six short months we would be in the midst of a global pandemic, there would be a new species of deadly hornets in the American Northwest, there would be a viral video of an innocent man being murdered in the street in broad daylight circulating the internet, the President would be locking himself in the White House bunker and threatening martial law while the National Guard fired tear gas and rubber bullets at innocent American citizens, and the nearest election was a toss up between two racist sexual predators... I would have laughed in your face. But here we are. And trust me, no one is laughing.
I started journaling my day-to-day activities on March 13, 2020 to look back on as a primary source from the COVID-19 pandemic, but I quickly gave up on that because how many pages was I going to fill with "I woke up, watched my lecture in bed, and then watched Netflix and TikTok for the rest of the day"? But at this point, there is a lot more going on in my life and in my head than lectures, Netflix, and TikTok, so I am back to document it all. What started as a few weeks of fear and uncertainty has turned into months of utter chaos, disappointment, anger, and terror. This is your reminder that if your biggest concern is a haircut or when you'll be allowed to go to the beach, check. your. privilege.
(Privilege is another topic I will be discussing, but that deserves a whole post to itself. So, alas, I shall wait. But I pinky promise I will come back to that.)
But regardless of your societal, economic, or political standing, I doubt any of you saw this coming when the ball dropped at midnight on January first. So here's to the beginning of a decade that started with sickness, hate, tyranny, and fear. Let us all try our hardest to make it to a place of peace, love, respect, and equity for all our fellow humans by 2030. Here are a few ways you can begin to work towards that goal:
Stand up. Be loud. Raise your voice. Whether that be on social media, in letters to your legislators, or in public protest; be loud. Silence is choosing the side of the oppressor.
America, America! Where the streets are paved in gold! Donate to causes you care about, if you're able. I donated $30 to the Massachusetts Bail Fund and raised another $90 to donate as well, and I'm not planning on stopping there. The fact of the matter is, we live in a country rooted in the love of dollar signs. So if you can spare it, put your money where your mouth is and shout your opinion in America's love language: capitalism.
Gaining knowledge is uncomfortable, just ask Plato (and read The Allegory of the Cave if you haven't already). Start hard conversations with your family and friends. I know it's much easier and more comfortable to agree to disagree, but that will never create change. There are certain problems in the world that we cannot agree to disagree on. One way to think about this is, an opinion that disrespects someone else's existence is not worthy of your respect. Don't stay silent just because it's easier.
Finally, hold yourself accountable. The first step in changing the world is changing yourself. Fill your headspace with love, acceptance, and passion. I can nearly guarantee that if you project those values, those around you will follow.
Fighting is hard. It's exhausting. But so is living in a state of hate, judgement, and oppression. It is our job, as the Americans of today, to be better than the Americans of yesterday. We don't have to be perfect yet. But if we all just do a little bit better than we did yesterday, we will do a lot of good.
Keep fighting the good fight.