by Allison Lee
Light in darkness, darkness in light. The yin and yang symbol is widely known all over the world. It originates from ancient Chinese philosophy and represents dualism, explaining that contradicting forces really complement each other. In the real world, we know that much is true. There will be goodness in bad and badness in good. It is an inescapable joke the universe has designated for us.
This year is made up of the same number twice. Twenty. Twenty. Repetition. But repeats of what? Deaths of loved ones? Interruptions of life plans? Unquenchable injustice? Calamitous headlines? Jokes have been created and memes constructed in regards to this grand start of a decade. Though we know change doesn’t happen overnight, we hope that once the countdown hits zero come New Year’s Eve, the world would miraculously reset and things would revert to normal.
However, is this really how we want to remember 2020? A year of complete disaster and chaos we cannot wait to be rid of? Twelve months of diminishing hope? I think not. The concept of yin and yang suggests no matter how bad a situation is, a morsel of good remains for those who seek it. So, ladies and gentlemen, put on your rose-colored glasses and join me in looking back at the past three-hundred and sixty-four days.
It all started during quarantine. Separated by walls and connected only through a screen, we attempted to carry on with our lives. Work and school resumed thanks to the technologies we have, and though no form of learning and work will ever be as efficient and productive as in person, we adapted. Isn’t it a wonderful thing that humans are the only species that can adapt in the blink of an eye? That we can command change of our surroundings without having to wait centuries for evolution to chart its course? We refused to let lockdowns hinder our livelihood and instead took to balconies to serenade neighbors and rooftops to carry out socially-distanced workout classes.
Then followed the passing of many. There’s a quote I once read somewhere that goes: one life lost is too many lives lost. Needless to say, some of us have family and friends permanently erased from our lives because of the pandemic. Countless frontline warriors have been sacrificed in their noble battle against the virus. Then, as is the natural course of life, the year has taken names that we have all grown to love (Chadwick Boseman, Kobe Bryant, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, and many more, may they all rest in peace). While death is a topic that many of us turn away from, and even more so considered taboo to discuss in conservative Asian countries, it is a part of life. The draw of a last breath can be so fleeting, but what we can learn from it is valuable: life isn’t one dimensional. It isn’t just about the length. It’s the depth and breadth that we should be concerned with. Are you living your life to the fullest? What defines ‘a full life’ for you? Are you injecting good into the world? Has your living helped others in their living?
As we all mourned and angered, it seemed that Mother Earth did the same. Through hurricanes, typhoons, wildfires, and earthquakes we crested. Relief was provided, albeit not enough. Humanitarian crises arose to worsen the situation: women abused, children malnourished. The picture was dire and dull, in need of a wondrous artist who could come along with some magical paint that contained an antidote. That paint? Social media (I know, who would’ve thought!). Tech-savvy youngsters campaigned and raised relief funds and went down to disaster hotspots to aid selflessly. Those from other countries contributed in monetary terms. We witnessed more activism accounts on Instagram than ever, each one carrying the news further and further away. What’s the lesson here? That we should be grateful for the internet? Yes, of course, but what’s more important is that we start understanding that prevention is better than cure. If we are willing to channel this much effort into curing an illness (figuratively and literally), imagine how much we could accomplish if we aim to prevent it! Keep the anger, keep the madness. Channel it into agendas like climate change and global warming.
And of course, who can forget the injustice? I will refrain from commenting on the policies and actions (or lack thereof) of a certain United States president with horrible hair, but there remains much to discuss. George Floyd’s name will forever ring in the back of our minds when this year is recalled upon. His death was not a ‘highlight of the year’ nor a ‘cultural reset’, it was murder. It was injustice in plain daylight and it was uncalled for. There are then the cases of his brothers and sisters, all of whom have not yet received the fair treatment they should get or should’ve gotten. China’s concentration camps for Uyghurs came to light and the world was disgusted by it. A female soldier was harassed and later silenced. A whole race was discriminated against for the ridiculous allegations of ‘carrying the virus’. Islamophobia continues in France. The protests in Bangkok are unceasing. Hostile government takeovers happened in Peru. Poland sought to tighten its grip around abortion. Hungary decided same-sex parents should not be allowed adoption. At home, in Malaysia, racism reared its ugly head in issues of rent among many others, people were unjustly detained, and a group of men thought it funny to host a group chat where they objectify women of all ages.
This is just a fraction of all that has happened this year. Perhaps, you’re thinking: What the hell, Allison? With all these events and more, you want me to keep looking for the good in the bad?
I am aware of how much of a needle-in-haystack situation this resembles but bear with me. Whether you have been acknowledging it or not, prior to 2020, our society has been moving toward individualism. Simply put, we have come to prioritize ourselves above anyone else and adopted the mindset of “if it doesn’t affect me, I don’t care”. I think I can spare you the lecture on the detriment of this mindset.
The events of this year have banded us in solidarity and unity in the oddest and least desirable of ways. We have made so many advancements and improvements as individuals, as communities, as countries, and as a species. We have successfully turned back from the brink of what could’ve been a selfish society. It’s back—the humanity, the thinking-of-other-people, the doing-for-other-people has been revived in collective society!
The most prominent example being people who voted for Trump back in 2016 not voting for the incumbent president in the November election because they have friends and families who might be part of the LGBTQ+ community, a frontline worker, or someone who has suffered the cruel consequences of the Trump administration (you didn’t think I would make it through this article without criticizing him once, did you?).
When we think only of ourselves, it is only we who benefit; when we think of others, it is more than we who benefit. The betterment of the world can only elevate us.
In one of his many films, the character played by Keanu Reeves says that humans can and will change at the precipice, and I believe this year has proven that more than ever. We have always thought ourselves incapable of change and doomed to walk the road toward self-destruction, but in the face of adversity, bigotry, and threat to our very existence, we have been prompted out of our comfort zones. We took to the streets and demanded change, refusing to take no for an answer. We chose not to back down or bend the knee to injustice. We have come so far.
And now is not the time to quit. Whether we like it or not, everything that has happened this year will follow us into 2021 as baggage. What happened to you this year might not be your fault, but it will be if you choose to wallow in the darkness instead of seeking out the light.
To wrap it all up, here are some thoughts from the GIS team:
Allison: It’s been one unforeseeable storm after the other. I am grateful to have found an anchor in GIS, where I have come to know many like-minded people and explore topics and ideas that I wouldn’t otherwise approach on my own. Writing and editing for this zine has really pushed me beyond my limits. I hope I continue to grow and inspire others to grow in years to come.
Justin: A year is a year but our narratives need not hinge on past faults. I’d thank the Stoic gods for enlightening me with their wisdom to grow in this perspective, but hopefully you’ll reach out to them too. If there is a god in this seemingly godless world, and if whoever it may be wants us to live fulfilled, then Dostoyevsky couldn’t have said it better: “The darker the night – the brighter the stars; the deeper the grief – the closer is God.”
Ling: 2020 was the year we could have never imagined. Either through politics or how we treated the virus, every person’s true colours were revealed. It’s taught me so much through the most unexpected ways; maybe everyone needed a quarantine. Perhaps stopping our lives was the only way to move forward. But after a while, we have all come to an epiphany in our lives; something that we will keep as we strive head first into 2020.
Amelia: I believe that every single piece we have put out came from the bottom of our hearts and I hope that our work here at GIS has inspired, if not at least given you some food for thought during this slow-yet-fast-paced year. Let us continue to grow as we step into a new (and still uncertain) year!
Angie: Truly a year of self-reflection and learning, 2020 has been nothing short of extraordinary for me. Despite the rollercoaster of events, I am grateful for the new experiences this period has brought me, and for the opportunity to publish my works here at GIS alongside other passionate individuals. Though the future is uncertain, I hope to make the best of what is to come!
Ryan: Whilst 2020 has, for me, passed by in a blur of bedroom walls and past-year papers, it was also a year where injustice entered the long-overdue limelight and refused to budge. Along with the rest of the GIS team, I hope that my contributions to the fight against discrimination will not go to waste in the coming year, or the years after.
Swea: If I had a dollar for every “unprecedented” I’ve read this year… Despite everything, the world continues turning. We owe it to ourselves and the communities all around us to carry on creating, amplifying and educating.
Joey: I think my main takeaway from 2020 was learning about all the social issues (still) plaguing the world, many of which I first came to understand while reading the countless submissions on GIS. It’s been a rather polarizing year, to say the least, but seeing so many people push for changes globally has been nothing short of inspiring. Let’s carry what momentum we have into the new year.
Jacq: This year has not been a forgiving one. While whirlwinds of worries mercilessly bludgeon through months that might as well have spanned weeks or years or both at the same time, every passing day has proven to harbour more meaning that I would have ever realised, be it the scarce hours spent with dear friends or the admittedly terrifying moments of self-reflection I’ve never been brave enough to entertain. 2020 has been rough, and yet here we are, breathing in the tangerine evening sky of yet another trip around the sun. The world stays moving; so do we.
Jennalynn: 2020 is an unpredictable year all right. This year for me has been a year of growth, a year of huge change, and a year of rediscovering new ways to regain a sense of normalcy within chaos. As time passes, it came to a realisation that these life lessons will help me pull through future challenges. Here’s to the new year, where we will fill up the blank pages of a life journal called 2021.
Alan: 2020 is unexpectedly a colorful year for me despite the COVID pandemic. It is also the year where I smashed my stereotypes, expanded my outlook on so many things, and brought more people together in spite of negativity around us. My only hope is that we appreciate and respect each other’s existence as human beings and acknowledge that we have our own uniqueness in approaching things we love.
Renee: 2020 has reinforced the reality that anything can happen at a moment’s notice. Along with the major spiral of events, 2020 has taught me that nothing stays still, we can’t prevent lives challenged but instead we can keep growing from them. Alongside the GIS team, I hope that our contributions will allow society to be aware of issues that truly matter.
Vivek: This year has taken unimaginable turns that one could not hope for. Besides all the negativity, I am glad this year has brought quality and purpose to our lives. It may be difficult to stay away from our friends and family for such a long time, but i believe that this alone time has really given us the opportunity to get clarity on what life is all about.
Yi Qin: 2020 has taught me to live in the moment. Overthinking and overplanning only give me analysis paralysis, which hindered my actual plan. “You’ll never be the best looking, tallest, most talented, or most capable, you’ll never have the most money, and there will always be someone who is better at whatever you’re doing than you are. But you can always be the hardest working person in the room, and I think the hardest working person will always win.” – Casey Neistat.
Carson: I still remember watching the 2020 New Year countdown in NYC early this year, and several days from now I bet I’ll watch the countdown again. 2020 has been an idle year for me, but the idleness have led me to a lot of different paths and I’ve discovered many new ways on how to live our life. I’m very grateful that I ended this year with a lot of smiles and laughter. I hope I can contribute to anything good in this world more next year.
Aditiya: 2020 was not just a year but a series of events and experiences. I was able to be more productive than I would’ve been in other normal days! I participated mentally and physically in activities I never did before and probably would never if it wasn’t for the lockdown/pandemic, which also includes me joining the GIS fam!. Me and my family learnt the value of spending time together. This year discovered my potential. 2020 almost felt like a decade, not just the feelings but the experience overall.
Thank you for traveling with us in a handbasket through this hell of a year. We hope you’ll stick around for better tomorrows to come.