The Globe’s Point: Goodbye 2020

With the drawing end of the semester, this is our final issue of the semester and thus will be our last for the year of 2020. And, in this year of uncertainties that have challenged us in so many ways, there is one thing that is certain: 2020 will be over very, very soon. 

 

This might be the one event everyone on the planet can be happy for. Honestly, we at The Globe may even be more excited for 2021 to come than Christmas this year. 

 

But let’s rewind to the beginning of 2020, if we don’t constantly do that in our own heads already. We all innocently started off the year thinking a new decade would mean new possibilities, a chance to restart in a positive way. All too naively, we posted the “I don’t have 2020 vision” memes and were, at the most, absently aware of a sickness spreading in China. After all, we were more concerned with talk of World War III with Iran and an impeachment trial of the U.S. president occurring, in a presidential election year no less. Remember how those were somehow things that also happened this year? 

 

But the coronavirus pandemic hit in full force in March. Everything shut down around the globe, institutions, activities and industries we never thought we’d see falter so significantly: travel, restaurants, universities—even Hollywood and major sports organizations like the NFL. Although things have reopened slightly, we’re definitely not in the comfort of our pre-pandemic world, and every day still feels like March 357th. 

 

So as 2020 comes to its deserved, bitter end, it might be easy to wish we could press the reset button and think nothing good came of this year. For the most part, we at The Globe would agree with you if you feel this way. But to leave things on a more positive note for this last issue, we thought it might be nice to remind whoever is reading this that not everything was a complete disaster from start to finish in 2020. 

 

If you’re a continuing student at Point Park, you’ve made it through nearly two semesters in a global pandemic and are still making progress towards your bachelor’s or master’s degree. That is certainly commendable. Incoming freshman students not only got their high school senior experiences cut short but had to start their first year at college and are still striving ahead. That’s even more impressive. 

 

More broadly speaking, the entertainment industries—from sports, movies, TV—found ways to innovate and still provide people new content. Volunteers and donations have poured out by the thousands to help food insecurity causes. Healthcare workers have stepped up in the most amazing, selfless ways to provide for patients. The world experienced a global reckoning with systemic racism and police brutality, a movement that has not stopped. People all over the country were inspired to register and vote in record numbers this year. 

 

The main takeaway of 2020, amidst all of its ugliness, is this: we have and will continue to persevere. Pioneers, enjoy the holiday break, it’s well earned. See you in 2021. Here’s hoping it is infinitely better than its predecessor.