I was dreading 2020 months before it even got here. I’m not a prophet. I had no idea what was going to happen, I was just dreading the over use of “2020 vision” in everything from marketing, to business plans, graduation speeches, etc.

Then it came and, for obvious reasons, I had more significant reasons to dread it.

However, here’s the good that can come from this disastrous year… and it has to do with 2020 vision… (not sorry for that overused trope). This has truly been a year of vision. With the pandemic, civil unrest, election campaigns, economic calamity, lockdowns, travel bans, etc, we’ve truly been allowed to see our world under a microscope… with clear “2020 vision”.

Here’s the benefit… we know what we’ve always known: We live in a fallen, hurting world. However, the cracks that divide us and our deficiencies are laid out for all to see. If we were in denial before, or just pretended not to see what we knew was there, we can no longer claim ignorance.

We know…
• There’s a racial divide
• There are bad cops… as well as very good ones
• Which politicians are opportunists and which roll up their sleeves and try to work out viable solutions
• A lot more about what works and doesn’t work in education
• How we’re doing financially… which businesses don’t have adequate reserves, the truth about our own financial situation, that our country can create money to keep us afloat, etc.

The question is, now that we know, what do we do?

For instance, it’s not enough to know how fractured our country is along racial lines in some areas. What do we do?
• Do we tear some parts down to level the playing field?
• Do we help those who are down realize how to climb up the ladder?
• Do we truly analyze the quality of our own lives (good or bad) and what privileges or cycles through generations have impacted that (and how we have embraced or rebelled against that truth)?

We’ve lost a lot. I don’t need to go through the lists. They’re different for each person.

However, the gain is in the undeniable 2020 vision we’ve been slapped with this year. Our dirty laundry is out there. The damage is done… but the truth is… the damage has been being done for generations, we’ve just been forced to see it clearly this year.

So what do we do?
• Go back into life as it was when the pandemic fades?
• Build each other back up with a new understanding of the divides between us?
• Become more responsible with our money so we’re prepared for emergencies?
• Take more ownership of our education? Do we take it less for granted?

Honestly, this post isn’t about solutions. Those will differ from person to person. However, I wanted to stop for a few minutes to get my mind around the good of 2020. It’s been bad, so incredibly bad. However, we can be so much better if we see our deficiencies as a result, and be more strategic about our lives and determined to bring healing. While doing this, we can be more sensitive to others as we move forward. Most importantly, however, is it’s amazingly important we don’t put the blinders back on.

Also published on Medium.