Top 4 Lessons of 2020

Opinions on Sunday, December 20, 2020

Columnist: Kobina Ansah

2020-12-20

We enter 2020 with a lot of energy and excitement. Before the first day of this year, our churches were flooded with people on Night 31; even the devil was there. “2020: a year of victories,” our prophets told some of us. “You will travel abroad,” others were instructed.

While shouting the old year, many of us had big plans and resolutions for the new year. 2020 was going to be that breakthrough we’ve always envisioned. We had well-designed strategies to improve our luck. All the dreams that we had postponed in previous years, we had the certainty that they would be fulfilled in no other year than 2020.

And then… Corona knocked on our doors. For much of the year we were locked up. Some passed away while others lost their jobs. Misfortunes began to emerge. The airports were closed. The pandemic sowed fear in us. The use of masks became a necessity. Economies suffered a recession. Businesses began to collapse. Relationships fell apart.

2020 was the same year that we were so excited to enter; the same year that we had made so many plans for. No one would have believed it if they had been told that the day would come when having physical contact with others would be taboo. We would not have believed it if we had been told that a time was coming when the world would literally stop due to a virus.

Today, many look back on 2020 with a bag of mixed feelings. As this year draws to a close, these are some of the most important lessons that we should not take for granted.

1. Tomorrow is a promise that may never be fulfilled.

Are we starting 2020 with a lot of people? friends and foes alike. They had dreams like us. Some had great intentions to implement projects for the benefit of the masses. While some were taking advantage of what little they had available at the time, others had rescheduled their dreams for the day when they had enough.

Today, not all of the people we started 2020 with are still alive. Corona took some. Accidents denied some a chance to see this day. Others succumbed to diseases of various kinds. We all pray to live to see tomorrow, but unfortunately, today may be the last for some of us.

For those who no longer exist, all the plans that were scheduled for later were never fulfilled. If there is a dream to chase, now is the time. In fact, no one knows if they will live to see tomorrow. Therefore, we must not postpone life today.

2. The gift of life is the greatest gift of life.

It’s great to have riches. When you are rich and prosperous, it is a great thing. However, in the absence of life, all our wealth is useless. When there is no life, money is just a pile of useless papers. It is better to have life without money than money without life.

In 2020, millions have perished because of the crown. Some sleep in small graves rather than in the luxurious mansions they build. Despite all the great plans that many had, today they have no life to follow them. If some could buy an extra life for a fortune, they would not have minded exchanging their wealth. Life is really expensive.

The beginning of all achievements is life. To have a possession, the first thing to have is life. Without it, no achievement is possible. If he’s alive today, thank him.

If you don’t have everything you’ve wanted, this is not the time to cry. 2020 has taught us how important life is. No matter how rich you want to be, you can never afford an extra life. If you have life, enjoy it to the fullest. You can go through this world only once. Make sure it counts.

3. Accept the change!

2020 started on a great note. Schools were in session. The cinemas and theaters worked perfectly. Workplaces were overcrowded and business was booming … until the virus appeared. And then … there was a shutdown. And then … life took a turn.

Suddenly, almost all the activities moved online. Education moved to the Internet. Production houses also migrated their content online. Companies began closing their offices so that staff could work remotely. The churches also moved their services online.

The curtains are closing in 2020 and surprisingly we have all adapted to a new way of doing things. We have all built a new life around the pandemic. Change is often uncomfortable, but the earlier we embrace it, the better it will be for us. If you see a change coming, don’t run away from it. Embrace it so it doesn’t become stale.

4. Be opportunistic.

2020 will not only be remembered for the crown, but also for the opportunities it presented. Despite the bleak outlook the pandemic painted, others still found opportunities that they seized. This year may have been the worst for some, but for others, it may have been the best.

But by 2020, some may have never been able to have the wedding of their dreams with just a few guests. Corona made people unearth their talents. If it weren’t for 2020, the online communication platform Zoom might not have been as relevant as it is now. Although this year gave some a lot of bad luck, others found the opportunity to turn it to their advantage.

In life, smell the opportunities from afar. Where everyone sees the dark, look closely and you will find the light. Find opportunities and pursue them. Life is not about what people see. It’s about what they prefer to pay attention to.

The writer is a playwright and chief scribe for Scribe Communications, an Accra-based writing company (www.scribecommltd.com). Check out his work, THE BOY CALLED A GIRL, on the Scribe Productions YouTube channel.