“2020, a Year to Remember”

By: Mykaila Ysa D. Valdez

Who would have thought that there would be a year that unleashes tragedies and countless
significant happenings that would change the course of our history. As we start of the year 2020
we didn’t expect to encounter countless misfortunes such as the deadly virus we know as
COVID-19 that made as experience a shift in our way of living amidst the pandemic which
forced us to be quarantined in our own houses, scared to be infected by the virus which has killed
numerous people around the world and has changed our perception of normal, as we step outside
our homes wearing masks and gloves to protect ourselves from the danger that threatens us. A
raging fire broke out at the beginning of the year, a constant inferno that burned away much of
Australia's bushes and trees, and with it were the animals that made it their home. This has not
only influenced nature, but also the people and the world around them and alongside with the
Australian Bushfire is the eruption of the Taal Volcano in the Philippines which damaged the
area surrounding it as it continuously spew gases and ashes which posed a harmful effect to the
people, animals and environment. Other than dreadful phenomenon we are also facing a tsunami
of bad news and conflict that has cause controversies around the world such as earlier that year a
major conflict between two powerful countries which are Iran and the United States broke out as
they almost enter an open war for the revenge Gen. Qassem Soleimani, the head of Iran's elite
Quds Force. The year 2020 gave us many painful and heartbreaking losses for the people we
cared and acknowledged, some were taken from us through brutal tragedies or incidents and
some met there ill-fated demise as well as being a victim of the deadly virus and there is no
doubt that everybody has been influenced in various ways, and some more tragically than others,
but there is no denying that we all feel the weight of this year's mutual sorrow and sadness. But
while it's easy to focus on the negative, because there's been a lot of it, let's face it, it's also very
important for us to appreciate the good things that happened this year despite how small it might
be. Take for example the black lives matter movement or protest of the people in the year 2020
which follows the killing of a black man named George Flyod that struck outrage in the world
and instead of letting their race be degraded by other people, people were willing to stand up for
themselves. The demonstration of black lives matter shows the world that freedom is the solution
to a better and liberated country. Any human being's freedom and rights are as important as a
million of them, simply because no matter what race, gender, views you have, the philosophies
and intent you have are important and because of this the black lives matter protest acted up
against the police brutality as well as killings and racial equality which has impacted the people
to fight for their rights despite of color and influenced those who have power to respond. As we
also face the Pandemic there is no denying that despite the danger that the COVID-19 poses to
the world, doctors, nurses and other health workers continue to offer their services in order to
save the people who are infected by the virus as well helping in preventing further infection or
spreading in which the people acted as a whole community creating specific standards that
asserts a safe place upon their community; people across the globe or primarily the scientist have
exerted their efforts to discover a sustainable vaccine in order to eliminate the virus. Another
significant thing that happened on the year 2020 is that Polio has been officially eradicated on
the African continent and that more than 95% of the population of Africa has now been
immunized. This was one of the criteria set out by the African Regional Certification
Commission before declaring the continent free from wild polio. It might not appear to be a huge
deal with some people, but now that there aren’t a lot of people going out on the year 2020
ensures that there's less garbage on the highways, which is where people mostly litter or throw
away their waste, and that's why I think getting people quarantined in their homes was a positive
thing that happened to the world or for the good of the environment and in addition to that with
industries and fewer people using vehicles or public transport made an impact on the atmosphere
and ecosystem have been caused by the environmental instability caused by COVID-19 and
because of that the air quality in some cities or part of the world has improved due to the
restriction of movement of the people in going outside or using of vehicles for this contributes in
degrading the quality of the air. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic we were also forced to study or
work at home. Educationally speaking I would say that students have the advantage of learning,
simply because they can and are able to reach out to limitless resources through websites and
other sources all within their abode and amidst the pandemic the student can reflect or realize
that they work independently without the help or need of a teacher. Over the course of a year,
there have been a lot of bad things and positive things that have happened, but as time goes by, I
found that there are more good results than the disappointing results that the year has brought us.
Sure, we may have gone through quarantines, lethal diseases, or even mayhem among the
citizens of the country, but as the dust settled, the bulk of the people joined together to make the
world better ensuring that the tragedies of the past would be buried and that the people would do
feats of actions that would make the world and the ones who inhibit it in awe. A little reminder
before I close this speech is that if you ever think about forgetting the events that happened in the
year 2020 I suggest you don’t because it may not be the greatest year but when you look back it ,
2020 is the year you became a survivor of change and havoc in the world.