2021 Was A Good Year!

Despite the pandemic, the capitol riots, natural disasters all over the world, and a chaotic retreat from Afghanistan, 2021 got some pretty awesome stuff going.

Photo by Nadin Mario on Unsplash

The mainstream media dramatically over-emphasize negative news, and we are getting used to this. As a consequence, we are becoming overly pessimistic about what’s happening in the world. That’s why I have largely stopped consuming mainstream media.

With full acknowledgment of all the evil stuff happening out there, I am inviting you to an experiment: Out of your mind, what great things have happened in 2021?

Without thinking too far, here are my spontaneous thoughts:

• We saw the first widespread use of mRNA vaccines — this technique might revolutionize the way we treat other diseases in the future.
• We also saw the first vaccine for malaria — this was almost forgotten due to the focus on the COVID-19 pandemic!
• The United States rejoined the Paris Accords, and the United States and China announced that they intend to collaborate on fighting climate change.
• The James Webb telescope was launched — a project that will lead to new understandings of the origins of our universe.