2017: a year in reflection

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Here we are, 2017 has nearly finished, and I know what you’re thinking…oh how this year has gone so quickly. As a decided cynic, I always find it amazing how cliché we always seem to get at the end of the year; I suppose it is the sentimentality that comes with Christmas. For many, this final month comes with a sense of disappointment or guilt, the year has gone by and yet as a person, what have I achieved? What changes have I made?

Personally, I can safely say I end the year just as lazy, as apologetic, and flawed as I started it out. Every year, we make so many resolutions that we hope to achieve. We all want to be healthier, to be skinner, to work harder, and yet still spend more time with our loved ones. In a nutshell (another cliché, I’m afraid) we aspire to be the impossibly perfect image we have constructed for ourselves. But, as another bizarre year comes to an end, we have to acknowledge the madness that was 2017.

America proudly elected a spoilt reality tv star for president

We began the year in what seemed the craziest of all events: the election of an obnoxious, orange clown. And I’m not talking about that little fish from Finding Nemo. Yes, America proudly elected a spoilt reality tv star for president, proving once again that a privileged white man with a real estate developer father, can make it in this prejudiced society. America and the rest of the world quickly joined Twitter in what can only be described as an ironic necessity.

Twitter has also been on the forefront for women’s rights, most prominently the #metoo campaign, and the women’s right’s march, originally formed as a reaction to Trump’s election. Women everywhere, (not only in Hollywood) came forward in the past year to openly accuse their attackers. Beloved film stars and Hollywood figures tumbled, and if we learnt anything, it’s that for many men, apparently the word “no” is not yet enough. Despite these shocking allegations, the public proved that we can have direct action on persecuting our attackers, be they men or women.

Puppies still exist. And so does pizza, chocolate, and Channing Tatum

The world has experienced famine, hurricanes, nuclear threats and war. The world at the end of 2017 seems dire and in need of a desperate manicure. But, as 2018 is right around the corner, we have to focus on the good. Malala Yousafazi got accepted to Oxford and hopes to get the qualifications to achieve universal education, well, universally. Israeli scientists discovered a new treatment for ALS, restoring the nervous systems immune defences and increasing life expectancy. We witnessed the great solar eclipse, the first total solar eclipse of the smartphone generation. Puppies still exist. And so does pizza, chocolate, and Channing Tatum.

The world isn’t perfect, and we aren’t either. But, as we go into this new year, think about how you can make a difference. Donate to charity, volunteer not just for Christmas. Eat good food, and don’t care about calories. Educate yourself, on everything. And, if by the end of 2018, you feel like you haven’t made a difference at all, try again in 2019.