On December 31, 2019, Michael Brown stated that "barring dramatic and unforeseen circumstances, the year 2020 will be one
of the most chaotic, divided, and tumultuous years in our nation’s
history. It will also be a year of clarity." Others claimed that 2020 would be a year of clarity. What do you think? What do high school students think? You may be surprised. Here are some thoughts from some Hilo High School freshmen.
I
believe that, in a way, they have been right. People have been able to
be alone or with their families for so long that they are realizing that
they really do need contact with other humans. The air is also clearing
up and our planet is doing better than it has been in a while, which I
am absolutely ecstatic about! This probably isn't the clarity that many
meant, but it is a sort of clarity.
Baby Yoda
I
believe that their predictions are right so far. During 2020, forest
fires, a WW3 scare, COVID-19, etc has happened, impacting the way we
live our normal lives. With these dangerous events, it helps us realize
how bad these situations could have turned out and how lucky we are to
be alive.
-k
I believe that those who predicted 2020 being the year of clarity are
absolutely right. As a series of global events continues, more people
are beginning to realize what's really going on around them. For
example, as of the beginning of the year, Australia's Wildfires and the
close call for WWlll was a huge eye-opener for so many people. With the
wildfires, people began to realize how bad things really are on Earth
and the path it's in. People began to realize that changes would be
necessary. During the ongoing battle between Iran and the US, WWlll
could have almost became a thing. From then on, people became glued to
the news, wanting to know what would happen, scared for the country and
their lives. Once things were settled, people were grateful with how it
turned out. Currently, COVID-19 is the main event we're stuck in.
Thousands have died and unfortunately, more are to go. As a global
pandemic, social distancing is highly encouraged. Personally, being
stuck at home helped me realize how much I had taken things for granted.
I'm more than sure this applies for many others.
These events all have something in common-they all make people grateful for the things in their life. Thus, changes are being made to help the Earth. So perhaps 2020 is a year of clarity after all.
bananak
I
believe they were right to think 2020 would bring clarity. In the few
short months since this year began, our eyes have been opened to the
ways our current system, and humanity as a whole, have responded under
times of great pressure. We have witnessed events to a scale previously
unknown to mankind, and I believe we will walk away with clarity
previously unbeknownst to us. This clarity shows us the flaws in the
current operations of our society, but also the hope, resiliency, and
strength that humanity is capable of.
Cosmically Cosmic
Yeah
2020 is definitely a year of clarity. Covid-19 will forever change the
way we live. We’ll be more cautious of what we consume and how clean we
are. It also shows who cares about their money rather than their
people. Republicans and democrats on office have been pointing fingers
at each other rather than pointing fingers at a solution. Now we have
three times the number of cases than the country in second. It also
shows that we shouldn’t believe everything the news says, and sometimes
they can make something look bigger than it is. In addition to global
warming, wildfires have shown us that our environment is in bad shape.
Mother Nature had 20/20 vision and decided to give some of it to us so
we can wake up and make changes to our word for the better.
Booger MacFarland
I
believe that they were right to think that 2020 was going to be a year
of clarity. Seeing how badly COVID-19 has affected us is really showing
how we need to improve the way we handle situations. If the situation
was handled properly, people would've been tested but many sources state
that airports didn't have tests in the first stages of this pandemic.
Although things aren't looking too great, I hope that this experience
will help us become better as a country.
fork
They
were correct in their predictions. Though we are only four months into
2020, the entire world has gone through several intense and impactful
(and worrying!) disasters. From potentially being on the brink of WW3,
to the Australian wildfires, to a massive global pandemic due to the
Covid-19 outbreak, many have suffered. During these difficult times,
we have been able to see how people handle being put under immense
pressure. We have been able to see how the entire country responds to
Covid-19. Though there are things that the government could have done
to prevent the virus from spreading so much, and many decisions made
regarding the current situation were flawed or late, there is an aspect
of this pandemic that I feel is often disregarded. The resiliency and
bravery demonstrated through out the world by people fight Covid-19
hasn't been this recognized or celebrated in quite a while. Our planet
is healing, which is amazing! Perhaps the clarity people spoke of is
the positive outcome of such a dark time.
kohn