Dear Year 2022, Thank You for Everything!
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!
Like any other year, 2022 was filled with bittersweet things. Here is a bit of reflection on bygone year for me and for the world I inhabit in, just in time before taking on coming year!
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Yet another year…
The passing of a year can be a bittersweet experience for many people. On one hand, it marks the end of one chapter and the beginning of a new one, which can be exciting and full of possibility. On the other hand, it can also bring about feelings of sadness or nostalgia as we reflect on the events of the past year and the things that we have lost or that have changed. It is common to feel a mix of emotions as we move from one year to the next, and this is perfectly natural. Hence, it is only natural to take a moment to reflect on it and move forward with achievements, failures, love, hurt and everything else our wonderful brains enable us to feel.
World in 2022
Like during COVID-19 pandemic, following recovery was a mixed bag. As usual, poor suffered more and riches suffered so much that they had to complain about it. Some got paid during lockdown as if it were paid holidays and others died while doing jobs they had to! Some kept waiting for vaccines and others waited for lifting the vaccine mandates. After bouncing back from COVID-19 pandemic, we humans went back to do what we love to do — destroying planet and each other!
1. War—destruction, inflation and refugees
Humanity started yet another meaningless war; Russia invaded Ukraine and plunged most of Europe in panic over security. First time ever, young Europeans got the bitter taste of inflation and how it feels to be mortally threatened by a war. Most of Europe opened their treasuries, weaponry and borders for war fleeing Ukrainians.
Ironically enough, they still could not muster courage to empathies with “war displaced refugees” who did not look European enough. Greece chose to let them freeze or drown in sea instead of welcoming them, others humanely shipped them off to Rwanda to fulfill refugee’s quest for “better lives”.
2. Being woman isn’t the same as being human
Scottish parliament voted favorably for Scotland gender recognition reform bill. Which mean you can now legally change your gender. But be careful if you choose female as your gender! The US Supreme Court revoked women’s constitutional right to abortion, restoring the ability of individual states (like Florida and Texas) to determine a woman’s reproductive rights.
Meanwhile, Iran cracked down on women for displaying their sexy and vulgar hair in public. Following protests gave “woke liberals” something to tweet about apart from #istandwithUkrraine. I heard some Twitteratis even learned a word for “life” in Persian — Zindagi without having to have “a life”. Reigning champion in oppressing women — Taliban retain their trophy by banning university education to women all together. As usual, many in west, unbeknownst to their privilege, commented on these trivial issues. Oppressions by Iranian and Taliban regimes left right wingers to aspire for it, while liberals appalled at it (only on Twitter).
3. Monarchy — Queen is dead, but Netflix special of monarchy is renewed for the next season
In 2022, Queen Elizabeth II, the UK’s longest-serving monarch, died at Balmoral aged 96, after reigning for 70 years. Many mourned and waited in line to see her majesty for one last time, while some of “the former subjects of empire” were criticized for not feeling bad enough on loss of their Queen.
For now, the banal monarchy drama is renewed with King Charles. But. Harry and Megan turned out to be real winners and bagged $60 million Netflix deal. Apparently the temper tantrum thrown at pens by King Charles failed to impress and did not made cut for Netflix docuseries yet.
4. Heatwaves to Storms — Humanity keeps ravishing planet earth!
In 2022, we crossed the population count of 8 billions. Since the dawn of Civilization, humanity’s impact on the environment is largely negative. Many of the activities we engage in, such as burning fossil fuels, deforestation, and industrialization, have contributed to environmental degradation and climate change. The negative environmental impact of humanity has also been felt in other ways, such as the loss of biodiversity, the pollution of air, water, and soil, and the depletion of natural resources.
Addressing the negative environmental impact of humanity will require a concerted effort to adopt more sustainable practices and technologies. This will involve changes at both the individual and the collective level, and will require the cooperation and support of governments, businesses, and communities around the world. But like previous year, world leaders decided to gather at #COPXX to discuss how dire the climate situation is and made tall promises which “thankfully” none of them have to keep!
5. Science in 2022 — AI got smarter while humans figured out the nuclear fusion!
Scientists at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California announced that they had produced the first fusion reaction that created more energy than was used to start it. Even though it is in distant future, this is the first significant step towards powering our energy needs with zero-carbon fusion. AI discovered first antibiotic while world was mesmerized by beautiful images taken by James Webb telescope. (See here on NASA website in high resolution)
Neuroscience of Everything in 2022
We kept our promise to make neuroscience knowledge accessible to world at zero cost. We reached people in 55 countries in last year and garnered 10K media views (Readerships/articles and YouTube videos). A big thank you to all readers, listeners, viewers and supporters!
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Why reflect?
Reflecting on the previous year can be a helpful and meaningful activity for many people. It allows us to take stock of what has happened over the past year and to consider what we have learned, achieved, and experienced. It can also be a time to think about what we want to let go of or change in the coming year. Some people like to reflect on the previous year through journaling, setting goals, or talking with friends or loved ones. Others may find it helpful to engage in a spiritual or religious practice that involves reflection. Whatever form it takes, reflection on the previous year can be a valuable way to gain perspective and to set intentions for the future.
Finally we wish you Merry Christmas and a bright start to the next year!
References
Webb Image Release- Webb Space Telescope GSFC/NASA
Join Medium with my referral link — Dr. Nandrolone, Ph.D.
Powerful antibiotics discovered using AI (nature.com)
Neuroscience of Everything | Podcast on Spotify