“When we are no longer able to change a situation, we are challenged to change ourselves.”
― Viktor E. Frankl, Man’s Search for Meaning
So, here we are. This is the very last day of 2020. As we’re all waving goodbyes to the year, we can remind ourselves that we endured a rollercoaster of a year full of global phenomenons, including wide-scale bushfires in Australia and California, the Black Lives Matter movement, and needless to mention, Coronavirus’s global pandemic.
Existential. No word could match what we witnessed this year. Not only what 2020 brought us all was existential to humanity, it was also existential to democracy and freedom of speech. What I saw this year was a sharp decline in the US’s role as a global power and a dramatic rise of China as an alternative power. Growing up with the notions of democracy, freedom of speech, and basic human rights, China’s iron fist crackdown not only within their country but also to the rest of the world is a significant threat to us all, citizens of the free world.
But come to think of it, we’re partially responsible for China’s global rise. Japan, for instance, was the only advanced economy that defended the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) when the party occupied central Beijing and killed thousands of its innocent citizens in the Tiananmen Square Incident. Back then, Japan was the second biggest economy in the world and enjoyed the fruit of China’s cheap labor, and didn’t apparently give a damn about China’s clear violence of basic human rights. We built factories all across China and invested in Chinese businesses even without knowing their ultimate goal and intentions.
Now, look at the bilateral relationship between the two. Not only does China outpowered Japan but also threatens us in disputed waters. Due to Japanese lawmakers’ bad decisions back when they kept investing in the Chinese economy during the 80s, we put ourselves in a difficult position swinging in between two superpowers, the US, and China.
When we turn our attention to global environmental problems, this is also a result of our thoughtless actions driven by capitalism that resulted in destroying the Earth ecosystem. Just like the China problem, 2020 showed us stark results of our actions, in terms of politics, economies, and the environment at the global level.
So, what do you hope for 2021? Having read the aforementioned problems we face today, what kind of difference can you make for the world and future generations. Even though I mentioned the fact that 2020 showed us a stark reminder of our actions over the course of those years, it’s too early to give up. As long as we breathe, we face a number of challenges, but also we can hope, dream, and fight for our happiness.
Lastly, here is my portfolio for 2020. Due to the arrant reason, I didn’t have many chances to go out. So, most of my pictures were taken within my city, Yokohama, and other neighboring areas, such as Shonan. Also, since I posted a slew of gadget reviews, there is a lot of photos of my daily drivers, such as my Pixel 4a and Surface Pro 7. Enjoy and wish you the very best for the new year!
