2020 So Far

As if Corona Virus is not enough, you must have heard of the massive explosion that shocked Lebanon's capital Beirut. The video was really distressing, instantly sent chills down my spine. It was like an apocalyptic scene we see in the movies. Dozens were dead (including my people) and thousands were injured. There was a dangerous warehouse full of ammonium nitrate (used in bombs and fertilizers) close to the port that caused the blast, while some even claimed that it was a terrible attack. Some countries are now sending humanitarian aid to help Beirut.

I just feel very sorry for those who are affected by this terrible catastrophe. As I watched the video of the explosion, I couldn't help but admire the beautiful city, and I feel bad for the huge damage around the area.

I don't really know what's up with 2020 but it seems to be the year of death. It is hard to see the good in this year. We're all left here wondering when things are going to be "back to normal", or maybe things have never been normal after all. This is just the year that bad things unravel right before our very eyes. And perhaps the underlying message is for us to wake up and realize the truth.

The pandemic has been sweeping off the planet. We have been placed on an economic crisis for an unknown amount of time. The rising cases here in my own country makes everyone feel hopeless - me included. This is not how I imagined 2020 would be like. I just can't wait for it to end - I mean everything bad. I thought 2012 was the end of the world.

Sure, we all have our own struggles, and your suck doesn't make my suck suck less, but still, when I look at the news once in a while, I am reminded of how other people have it much worse. I admit that I've been really self-absorbed these days wallowing in my own misery. But you know, things are much much worse out there. There's bloody war, deadly pandemic, world hunger, and to top it all, ruling elites taking advantage of these circumstances all along. Yet here we are not knowing. Or rather, we choose not to know.

If you don't feel anything anymore amid these atrocities then you probably need to check if you still have empathy. Or check your psychiatrist to see if you are still a normal human being or something. It is so easy to watch the suffering and struggle of others comfortably from a distance. It is understandable that we might not be capable of extending help due to the global economic crisis, but the least we can do to alleviate pain is to be mindful of our own actions and how we treat others. It doesn't hurt to be kind.

Everything bad happening makes us think of how anything can be taken away from us anytime. And how relatively short life is on this planet. There are no guarantees, we have no time to waste. 2020 is perhaps humanity's wake up call.