Embracing a year of possibilities.
2021. A year weighed down by more expectations than any other year in recent memory. This is no surprise since 2020 was an awful year for millions across the world. It forced change on humanity in brutal ways. The pandemic showed us that if we don’t respect Nature and our environment, it will choke us and force us to accept change anyway. 2020 showed us that we are not invincible. We are just another biological species, as prone to destruction by a virus like other species. We were happy to leap into 2021, anxious to leave 2020 behind. Still, the ‘pandemic year’ offered us some special lessons.
Embrace your environment. We have continued to pillage the earth, our home, of its precious resources and destroy the habitat of other species. This has increased our interaction with wildlife, putting us at risk for pandemics like the coronavirus. Embrace your environment. This environment is mine and yours. Preserving the environment begins with you and I, with each one of us, not in some international climate conference or complicated papers on climate change.
The quality of our environment affects the quality of our lives. Treat it gently. Reduce your consumption and reuse as much as possible. Use less toxins. Buy less. Eat more plants and vegetables. Walk more instead of jumping into your car even for short drives. Bike. Hike. The upside is that you will be healthier (and thinner) and save more. Spend more time amidst nature instead of spending more money to keep up appearances for the sake of ‘others’. Experiencing nature will give you clarity of thought and reveal insights to help you live a more meaningful life.
“The care of the Earth is our most ancient and most worthy, and after all our most pleasing responsibility. To cherish what remains of it and to foster its renewal is our only hope.” – Wendell Berry
Embrace the new. Recognize that change is scary for most human beings, which is why we try hard to avoid change at any cost. We crave the good things that change brings but rarely enjoy the process of embracing it. Unfortunately, life doesn’t happen the way we want it to unless we embrace change and shed dead weight. Many invest tremendous effort in Sisyphean tasks and justify them rather than accepting that their fear of change is why they can’t transform their lives. If you have been observing people like these and wondering if this is your lot as well, embrace change however it happens, whenever it happens. Grab it before it disappears and hold tight instead of freezing in fear. It will sweep you away, higher than you thought possible and into wonderful experiences. All because you faced your fear and made a choice to embrace a better way of living.
The pandemic has accelerated the Fourth Industrial Revolution. In fact, we are living in the Fourth Industrial Revolution now. Embracing new technology is a good way to experience the process of embracing change.
“When in doubt, choose change.” – Lily Leung
Embrace yourself. Remember, though, that no man-made technology is more complex or beautiful than the human machine. Keep trying to understand how your body and mind work. Nurture them. Do what you know is good for their health and realize your potential. Learn to be your own cheerleader instead of looking to others for validation. When you constantly change yourself to suit others’ needs, you lose track of who you are and what your needs are. Instead of trying to make other people like you, learn to like yourself. Those who value you will become a part of your circle. Instead of expecting others to respect you, respect yourself first. Is there anyone who respects you even if you cannot do them any favors? Keep them close. They will stay by your side regardless of the circumstances.
Observe yourself as much as you can and keep improving the parts that make you a better person. Life will never be perfect and orderly. It will never be ‘just right’ or happen in just the way you want it to happen. You can enjoy its beauty, unpredictability, and chaos only when you seek out new experiences. Enjoy it in the Now instead of putting it off.
Feel every experience. Laugh. Grieve. Cry. Dance. Life keeps moving. It does not care if we move with it or not – the choice to move forward with it is ours. Catch and experience every moment you can. Express your feelings sincerely. Only then will you learn to do things that give your existence more meaning in the brief time that you are here.
“No man ever steps in the same river twice, for it’s not the same river and he’s not the same man.” – Heraclitus
Great possibilities unfold only when you embrace yourself and live in harmony with nature. Make 2021 a year of great possibilities.
