Turning a New Leaf to Pick up Where We Left off
By Faiza Zia Khan
Newport Beach, CA
Congratulations! We survived 2020. As we prepare to put 2020 in the rearview mirror for being a challenging year we come out stronger, steadier, unassailable, or at least that's the hope.
Emotionally, we felt the year lasted longer than the 365 days each day in quarantine felt like a month, yet here we are. Now is the time early on in the year we take scope of all unfulfilled year 2020 resolutions and transfer them to 2021, with the expectation that we will actually be able to implement them. Fingers crossed!
In order to put the new year in perspective I have decided to enlighten my readers with the significant events of year 2020 that were swept under the rug due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Yes, we were “that” consumed and confused by this epic virus and maybe it will keep us guessing for a minimum of two or more years before we can start to compartmentalize and normalize ourselves to it. Maybe NOT! It is too early to predict at this moment in time based on the advent of the vaccine and the effects it might/might not have on the subjects.
It is extremely possible the memory of events from earlier in previous year, while you read through the paragraphs below may seem like they were from a bygone era, one that never really existed and humans actually wanted to be around other humans. Perhaps, when I list them here the readers might trivialize the fact they actually happened as they may seem insignificant at this point in time. However, please keep in mind once we are through with this time and are back to refocusing on the future, if we do not stay in touch with these developments - we will end up naive and uninformed. Let us focus on picking up where we left off.
I chose three areas to discuss: environment, politics, and entertainment. I handpicked some incidents that occurred in 2020 and might be impactful in the years to come, shaping our future in a different way.
Australia faced one of the most devastating wildfire seasons in the history of the country. It burned over 47 million acres starting from around December 2019 and blazing its way through the larger part of 2020. All the smoke and debris from these wildfires became a hazardous part of the environment. California faced a similar predicament with over 4.2 million acres burnt and 9,279 fire incidents reported. There were 10,488 structures destroyed and 31 fatalities reported in the process. On the surface we may not know why this will affect us immediately but these wildfires contribute towards damaging the environment and create an adverse effect on factors such as global warming and other variables. How these fires have impacted the environment will come into the spotlight as soon as we start tracking it, right now we have other fish to fry.
On the political front, two major events happened in the UK that will affect us in different ways for years to come. Brexit happened and Megxit happened. On January 31, 2020 at 3 pm PST Brexit happened across the Atlantic Ocean when the UK decided to leave the European Union after 47 years. The detailed impact of this on the US and other countries is beyond the confines of this article, but keep in mind we will hear echoes of this in the years to come. Similarly, a British royal prince leaving the royal family to move across the Atlantic to live with his new American bride in Montecito near Santa Barbara, California. In all honesty, Californians are flattered they chose our state to be their permanent home and it makes for good press coverage. Usually, we are used to witnessing such drama in the movies or in romance novels but not in real life.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex made us realize fiction stems from some form of reality. They officially exited from their royal duties on April 1, 2020 to embrace an apparent normal life in a 14,500 sq ft mansion situated on 7.4 acres of ocean facing grounds with only nine bedrooms and 16 bathrooms worth approximately $14.65 million. They signed up for mega million dollar deals for speaking engagements, appearances, podcasts, and shows.
This is normal I guess when royalty steps down from being royal they do so in a very royal fashion. For celebrity aficionados this could potentially be good or bad news. Politically, it takes the focus away from locals who are equally accomplished to do all the charitable work that Meghan and Harry will perform but only time can tell. The real impact of Megxit will come into play once we are able analyze the effects of it in realtime and critics will have a field day with it.
The entertainment industry cannot be forgotten as we complete our round-up of forgotten significant events of 2020. The 92nd Oscars held on February 9, 2020 made history when “Parasite” a non-English language film took home four Oscars. It was nominated for six categories altogether. Bong Joon-Ho’s South Korean drama became an instant success due to the relatable plot of a poor family who put a plan in place to be employed by a rich family, well-placed in society and focuses on a give-and-take relationship under the guise of false pretenses. The Oscar win for a foreign language film is a cultural breakthrough and opens doors for many others in years to come.
With all these events behind us we hope and pray 2021 helps us all turn a new leaf to enter into a new era shining bright with success and happiness. When one door shuts a new one opens. Here’s to a healthy, wealthy, and prosperous 2021.
(Faiza Zia Khan holds a Master’s in Journalism degree from the University of British Columbia, Canada. She has collaborated with news media outlets, including Global National, and actively volunteers for several community investment projects for the Red Cross, United Way and the Breast Cancer Foundation)
