Although 2020 has brought us a series of traumatic events, should we be so quick to call it the worst year yet?
Have you gotten a breaking news notification today about something else that’s going on in the world? Yes, I bet you have — and that’s my exact point.
As the new year started, there have been notifications informing us of the disasters as they’re happening. This year began with the death of Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gianna Bryant and continues now amidst an ongoing pandemic.
As the series of bad news unfolds, we’re glued to our phones reading about each of the stories- giving us the feeling that there’s a new one to catch up with right after we are finished. The news leaves us refreshing the page to stay up to date with the latest disasters our world is going through, creating a slight obsession.
We are witnessing how this pandemic continues to kill thousands of people around the world and realize this may not be stopping anytime soon. Protests against police brutality have occurred around the world to fight for peace and equality. Yet, we still don’t see anything positive in our breaking news alerts.
Other than the negativity covered in breaking news headlines, many great things are happening every day. We have seen in the media how mental health has become more talked about since the stay at home orders have been in place. Several people are finding ways every day on how to cope and better their mental health while staying at home. Anti-racist books are now in their prime, and recently, they’ve been at the top of the bestseller lists. Animal shelters are emptying quickly. It has been now more than ever that animals are getting adopted at a high rate from animal shelters. It seems as if this pandemic has gotten individuals to run to their local animal shelters to pick up a new friend.
Many frightening things are happening this year, but there are also many positive sides to these negatives. Instead of focusing on the bad, I encourage you to look for and see the good that is happening.
