Another year has come and gone, and unless you’re a fan of uncontrollable dumpster fires, it’s been a bad one.
To be fair, 2016 has had some good moments. The Chicago Cubs and Cleveland Cavaliers both came back from 3-1 series deficits to erase long, hideous and cruel championship droughts. Harriet Tubman, a champion of human rights, will replace Andrew Jackson, an opponent of human rights, on the $20 bill. The Dakota Access Pipeline, a bad thing for many reasons, was halted thanks to the efforts of Standing Rock Sioux protestors.
Some remarkably positive things happened this year. The Paris Agreement on climate change went into effect; for the first time in our lives we actually have a plan to combat climate change. A solar powered plane flew all the way around the world. The entire country of Portugal ran for four straight days on renewable energy. One day in Germany, people were using so much renewable energy that energy prices actually turned negative. Multiple human rights violators were finally brought to justice in international courts.
And so did some remarkably bad things. Multiple terrorist attacks killed and injured many people all over the world, from Belgium to Nigeria to Turkey to the United States and many places outside and in between. The ongoing tragedy that few people are talking about (Syria) continues, exacting an unconscionable human toll. In reactionary acts of xenophobia, the United Kingdom voted to leave the European Union, and the United States voted to leave its sanity by electing Donald Trump to its presidency.
Global carbon dioxide levels were recorded above 400 ppm for the entire year; a first time occurrence in human history. North Korea continued its threatening behavior by testing nuclear weapons multiple times throughout 2016. I’m glossing over and missing a lot of important stuff, but all in all, I’d have to say it’s been a pretty bad year.
But that’s no reason to get discouraged. There’s still a lot for us, all of us, to be happy for. And now, in the season of giving, there’s no better time for us to try and right so many of the wrongs that have happened this year.
This desire to do better can manifest itself in gifts to loved ones. I’m not saying there’s anything wrong with that either, but after this year, it seems more fitting to me to satisfy needs rather than wants. Sure, I’d like some new clothes, new headphones, some more money and whatever else, but I don’t need any of that stuff.
What people need now is to feel loved. If you feel so inclined, try to show some love to people outside of your inner circle. Donate your money (however little) to charities that could really use it right about now: Planned Parenthood, Southern Poverty Law Center, Friends of the Earth, Union of Concerned Scientists and others. Donate clothes to the Salvation Army. Donate your time to local causes. Most of all, do what you do out of genuine love and concern for others.
Let’s all buck the downward spiraling trend of 2016 and make the world feel loved this holiday season. It’s pretty fair to say that the world sorely needs it.
Aleksi Pelkonen, a Sports Editor for the Voice, can be reached for comment at APelknonen17@wooster.edu.