Two Saturdays down, and one to go before 2023. This time we are going to take a look at the present, and the future will be addressed next week.
This year has been a turning point in many ways. In Ukraine the people are dealing with a lengthy and forcible effort to change its way of life from without. In Great Britain the people are dealing with their first male monarch in 70 years, in the aftermath of the loss of their beloved queen. In the United States, recovery from an unexpectedly volatile presidency, which changed in 2021, is still ongoing, and the divisive nature of the conversion is turning party lines into those of friend and enemy with no middle ground, and a shadow of anarchic mayhem lurks over our democracy.
The world has been recovering from biological and environmental issues which threaten our global stability. The biggest ecological problem seems to come from our disownership of our most threatening issue: our waste. We seem to have adopted a mindset in which the carriers of our products are not responsibly handled. The trash is being discarded, without concerns about repurposing or sorting, into dumps and our oceans. The plastics industry is staying silent on the issue of “can we destroy what we create?” The overall answer appears to be no, as only select plastics are recycled. At the rate of production versus disposal, our planet has finite room for its clutter, and nobody seems to be doing anything about it.
As for the biological end of things, we were thrust headfirst into an unknown illness with no preparation and no instructions. Globally we did what we could by attempting isolation while researchers scrambled to find a solution. Unfortunately, as Cecil B. DeMille said at the beginning of The Ten Commandments, each sought to do his own will instead of making sacrifices for the common good, and though we have experienced some relief from restrictions, at the start of winter we are dealing with three separate respiratory issues placing strains on hospitals once again.
Rights were taken away, but others were affirmed for a variety of people.
Which is why there is some hope.
A Black woman was added to the Supreme Court. The Webb telescope sent striking images from outer space, to give us a glance into the world beyond our own. New looks into cannabis usage has changed availability for medicinal purposes and eased overzealous laws placing people in possession of some amounts in the clear (except for one women’s basketball player we needed to get out of Russia). Awards shows resumed, as did the Olympics and sporting events of all varieties.
Ten countries decided to unite and protect the oceans, with a goal to raise the current ten percent to thirty by 2030. The number of monarch butterflies counted in 2021 reached a milestone after a serious decline; in 2020 California teams of watchers counted only 2,000 in migration, but 250,000 were counted in 2021. Pet adoptions were increased by simply moving animals from overcrowded shelters into underpopulated ones to make more available in regions where people wanted them.
Anti-bullying initiatives in schools are helping to increase positive learning experiences (we could use some of that for adults, too). Intolerance of negative public behavior is helping everyday life improve. Soon the name “Karen” will again become simply a first name and not an attitude.
As biological threats evolve, medical science is adapting as well, and in time common winter ailments may be resolved by an injection or a pill in advance of their respective most active seasons.
It’s through the cooperation of the majority that our lives improve equally and in kind. Which will lead us into next week. Hope you will pay a visit. Meanwhile, have a safe final week of the year.
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