With the new year, I am reflecting on what I take-away from three major trends that played out in 2021 at the national, global and planetary levels, and applying my learning to 2022.
The first trend is the corrosion of democracy in the US that commenced in 2016 and reached a crescendo with an attack on the Capitol last year. The mob that besieged Congress was trying to prevent the peaceful transition of power, and were so disillusioned by the system that they believed violence was the only way to make change. The lame duck President encouraged the actions, further removing trust amongst the remaining population. Overall many people are feeling that government is not working for them, and a third of Americans believe “the traditional American way of life is disappearing so fast that we may have to use force to save it.”
The current administration believes creating trust is done through actions - distributing vaccines, providing economic relief and cooperating with global partners. But what was corrupted over the past few years – faith in government officials, belief in media, trust in science – will take time to rebuild. Congressional programs like the American Jobs Act that will build infrastructure across the country may help restore faith in government. Passing laws like Build Back Better with the goal of providing social infrastructure to a vast majority of the country and the Voting Rights Act which will strengthen voter access and voting integrity may help heal the fractures to the democratic process. Regrettably, the rage of destruction acts more quickly than the art of creation.
The second trend is the relentless spread of Covid. Even though there was widespread vaccine availability in many high-income countries, the lack of vaccines for the majority of the world population meant that the virus continued to spread and morph. Global excess deaths from Covid are likely around 18.8 million with a range of 11.8M to 21.9M. Due to vaccines, this is less severe than the 50M deaths attributed to the Spanish Flu pandemic of 1918, but we rich nations can’t purchase our way out of the problem. Although 9.16B shots have been administered across the globe, they are disproportionately in high-income countries, with African nations lagging behind. The virus doesn’t recognize borders. Preserving human life means solving the health problem within our borders as well as assisting our neighbors, especially countries that are the poorest in the global community.
While the threats to democracy and global health have crowded the headlines, climate change looms over the planet threatening our collective existence. Climate change has impacted every country of the world. The examples of severe weather conditions - wildfires in Australia, flooding in Europe, desertification in North Africa, melting icecaps in Antarctica, severe hurricanes in the Americas – are undeniable. With a vanishingly small window of time to address the issue, we are persistently destroying the world around us through our economic decisions. We know what it takes to change on an individual level – curtailing fossil fuel consumption, moving to a more plant-based diet, taking a system-wide view. It’s not theory that is lacking but motivation to implement. Finding that motivation is hard especially when we feel that our efforts are negligible.
Re-establishing trust, helping the poorest, and motivating change within my our communities are the three lessons I take into 2022. Hinduism believes in a “trimurti” or triumvirate of gods who are tied to each other Brahma (creator); Vishnu (preserver) and Shiva (destroyer). They are equally powerful and need each other to move forward. There is no preservation without creation, there is no creation without destruction.
Living with an endless flux of events – things being created, preserved, destroyed - can feel overwhelming, isolating and pointless. It seems easier to retreat into a bubble and just watch Netflix. But detaching can’t be the solution. Rather finding peace by acting and reacting to the changes seems to be the constructive option. So I plan to stay in the game, and keep striving to realize my three lessons for 2022. I hope you will join me.
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