What do you think of when you hear the words/numbers “20-20?” After the crisis of the past year, your mind will likely go to one (or both) of two things. The pandemic was an enemy many of us had never experienced. The depth of the racial divisions in our country rose to the surface.
I don’t think it’s a coincidence that all of this upheaval in our world happened in the year 2020.
At an eye doctor’s office, 20/20 is about having clear vision. The pandemic alone forced many of us to take a good hard look at ourselves, to get clearer on how we were living our lives. What were our true priorities and values as we faced an enemy we didn’t even know? The racial inequities that still exist were, rightly so, thrust into the spotlight.
I recently heard author and MIT professor Sherry Turkle say that people had become “strangers to the habitual.” I agree. We lived our lives the same way, for the most part, day in and day out. We harborded the same resentments and prejudices that maybe we didn’t even know we had. We were strangers to our own behaviors, to our own life.
The year 2020 gave us an opportunity to become a better society, better human beings. Did we take it? Are we seeing more clearly now? Do we now have “20/20” vision about what truly matters? I, for one, hope that we do. I hope for healing in all ways – for us to be kinder, more empathetic, more understanding. I hope that we become better listeners so we might seek to understand and that we are more accepting of our differences. It’s the mosaic of our differences that creates a beautiful world.
They say “Hindsight is 20/20.” Despite the lingering effects of the past year, may we never forget the lessons learned as we move forward into the years ahead.
This past year has inspired many of us to reconsider what it means to live our best lives. I invite you to listen to my podcast, Live Your Best Life with Liz Brunner, to hear my guests’ stories of re-creation and next chapters.