2020: A Year of Existential Questions

• An unprecedented crisis and an enormous challenge for all mankind… this is a year that history will not forget.
• Is there a positive side to 2020? The truth is that roses have been born of the ashes. Whilst for many this year has been a living nightmare, others have found the strength to flourish.
• During the COVID-19 pandemic, some sectors have flourished. Internet and IT services have thrived, internal tourism has boosted local economies, and the environment has enjoyed a truce in its losing battle with pollution.
• Many of our perceptions and ideas have changed. Ambition has been overshadowed by mental, moral and physical well-being, and we have a new-found appreciation for the simple privileges of life.

• Social ties have become stronger. Friends and relatives have become closer, spurred by their concern for each other amid unprecedented adversity.
• The pandemic has strengthened our spirit of responsibility and solidarity, both within and between societies the world over, while humanitarian and charitable initiatives have emerged to provide help to those in need – be they near or far.
• Heroes have emerged, having hidden in plain sight, to make sacrifices for the greater good as our first line of defence.
• Did it take a merciless pandemic for us to discover the things that really bring us together? Perhaps this is the time to ask existential questions; particularly about our arrogant vision of our place in the hierarchy of this world.