Here we go again- we have reached the conclusion to the rocky year that was 2021, and the future of our world is veiled in a black robe of uncertainty as we mourn the millions of lives that we have lost again this year. As ironical as the meme I used for the title, the inception of 2022 is unsure, with the 5th wave of the pandemic seemingly starting in Europe. However, we cannot predict how our 2022 will go. After all, a year is a unique collection of experiences and memories for each one for us. What awaits us, remains unsaid…
A recap of this year’s events is an important reminder of what we all went through together as a country. We lost, yet again, 3 months of our lives being stuck in lockdown, while some of us even had to go for their exams during that time. The Covid-19 Pandemic got out of control and claimed a horrifying number of lives, as we watched helplessly people go in and out of the deathbed that is the ENT. This is enough to recount the sombre year that we spent in Mauritius alone, along with the personal battles that each one of us had to fight on our own. The world did not really do any better either- a boat being stuck in the Canal Suez is enough to portray the comical irony of how a duplicate of 2020 has overshadowed our lives yet again, restricting us from the longed freedom which has always been the most priced possession of humanity, which has helped us exercised our creativity and intelligence during all this time to provide a leverage for humanity to reach new levels of outstanding technologies. However, the furthest we seem to have come this year is that next year all the Amazon Alexas in the world will start their world invasion and try to kill us all just like in Terminator (Kids, don’t poke exposed prongs with a coin. You’re not winning this challenge) I think this summarizes our year well enough- it wasn’t a particularly pleasant one.
However, enough with the cynicism. The future has not been written yet and 2022 has not even started. Even in the direst situations that humanity has went through, passing from 2 World Wars in one century to the current war against the virus, there is one unfailing characteristic that we have always, and must always keep; hope. We’re living through something that not one of us could have ever imagined, with masks becoming the new fashion stamp of who is cool and who isn’t. And even through the toughest of times that we may be living, just like right now, we should look forward to what will happen. 2022 may not start as well as we would have like it to but what tells us that these may be the last moments of hardships of the Corona Virus? We’re not sure about anything and being pessimistic about our future does not help at all. The world needs anything except from grinchy people that moan about the current state of the world. Yes, it is not easy to see any semblance of joy or happiness in those times but we must try to. Receiving love and giving love is one of the most humane aspect that us humans share and, may it be to our parents , friends or partners, love is one of the purest and most touching emotions that is able to keep this flame of happiness alive nowadays. Spend time with those that you love and that love you back, and you won’t regret one single moment of your life. Like the Beatles one said, ‘’ All you need is love’’. And right now, more than ever, it may be true.
At the time of writing, tomorrow is NYE and people are busy preparing for their celebrations or, preparing their list of new year’s resolution, which is exactly what I wanted to talk about. ‘’New Year, New Me’’. Some of you may decide to start going to gym (and then stop after the first week) or to start a new hobby, or to stop spending less time on TikTok. The particularity of everything I just said is that it is personal and unique for each one of you. Even though you may not write down a list, you surely have a mental note of the things you want to achieve in 2022 and the experiences and memories you want to live. That’s the hidden beauty of our yearly clock going back to zero; we have new beginnings, a refreshed counter of everything we’ll go through and at that point, everything does seem possible. And, just like I mentioned above, we should always remain hopeful for these moments. Who knows, maybe you’ll meet your love of your life or Mr Jagatpal, whichever you would prefer. What I want to say is that this new year is entirely personal to all of you and you will be the ones in the centre of it, orchestrating this new upcoming chapter of your own lives. The choices that you’ll make depend on you and you only- make the good ones, it makes life much more joyful. Therefore, my question to you is a simple one: which version of yourself will you choose for this new year?
2022 is at the border of our lives and we don’t know what will happen. We don’t know who we will come and go and this is indeed scary. The most important thing right now is to enjoy yourself as much as you can with the people that you care about and cherish and tell them how much they mean to you- rather one more time that one less. I wish you all a happy new year and I hope that, in one year’s time exactly, you’ll smile back when you’ll think about 2022.
‘’ We could be heroes, just for one day.’’
- David Bowie
By MYANDEE Ryan
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