End of 2020, finally

 There ain't much better way of putting it but to simply say--it's almost the end of 2020. What a year. What a disastrous year (RIP Kobe, and many others). What a triumphant year at times, but whose moments were few and far between. The year that really separated the haves from the have-nots as the market completely decoupled from the real economy, and the year that told us that everything we know to be "real" around us is really just a constructed reality. 

That morning coffee run, that friendly chat with a coworker or postal worker, that song that takes you to a special time and place--all pieces of the tapestry of a constructed reality that we all had to question more often than not. For some, the ephemeral nature of our experiences, mindsets, joys, and pains were well understood well before the pandemic made us face what the other faces of reality might look like. For others, it was a stark reality check. In reality, there is no absolute reality; there is only our interpretation of it, and what a joyful or depressing thing that can be depending on how the mind-body-soul perceives it. Part of the power of human nature is this ability to construct such a reality in a way that suits us, resulting in things like language, culture, humor, and all sorts of innovation. So maybe the decoupled markets are nothing but a reflection of ourselves --it's taking us to a place we want to be, not where we actually might be from a totally objective perspective. 

Something that's been on my mind lately is this idea that everything we know, everything we experience and feel, and everything we think we influence, eventually vanishes. Sure, we remember the greats and the impact they've had, but they themselves do not benefit from such memories. How we are remembered really doesn't affect us. It's how we feel today and how we feel about the future that impacts our existence. How many times have you gone to a party or hung out with friends, only to be left with a feeling of what's next? And how many of those friends actually stuck with you till this day? The real value of those past experiences is how they have shaped your present mentality, whether it's through reminiscing about great times or allowing those things to shape your perspectives for the future.  

As we look beyond 2020, we must remember that we can't be held back by our current or recent circumstances or negative events, but that we are the sum of our collective experiences and dreams for the future. You might be 85 years old and have more life left in you than a 30 year old who has allowed the world to drag him down. We really don't know how much time we have left, but it doesn't matter. What matters most is the reality we construct for ourselves...the one that will propel us forward.