Hello 2021, Goodbye 2020!

2020 is finally behind us and couldn’t we be happier about it? The world is at a point where our resilience, patience and energy are being put to the ultimate test. While most of the world was on a standstill, structural changes within societies were formed to adapt to the new reality. These changes will probably penetrate this year too as we all focus on getting back on our feet. Therefore, here are some of the events or happenings that I believe are going to take place in 2021.

Firstly, as schools, offices and even social gatherings shifted online, and in this year, we will continue to normalise the use of such digital tools. A large sum of businesses throughout the globe have realised that working from distance, or teleworking. Businesses came to the realisation that a variety of professions, from those that require low skill to very high skilled can mostly be carried out from the comfort of your house. Google recently announced that their employees could work from home till September 2021. In the long run, this could possibly reduce the necessity of working out of an office and or perhaps increase the use of co-working spaces.

Photo by Sincerely Media on Unsplashed

Secondly, the future of electric mobility finally does seem promising. In 2020 alone, Tesla's stock price increase almost by 700%. This either means one of two things. The first, a large sum of people found a viable stock to invest in or that these same set of people do believe and have trust in the realm of electric mobility. In the latter case, this could perhaps mean that 2021 could be the start of an era of the mass use of electric mobility. However, this would have to be backed with the correct infrastructure and finding means to make electric cars relatively affordable.

Thirdly, we will continue to learn about life outside Earth as space exploration will reach new heights. In 2021, travelling at the speed of over 82,000 kmph from Earth to Mars, NASA's Perserverence, a Mars rover will land on the red planet after 7 months of flight through space. The mission of this rover is to find signs of ancient life and collect rock and soil samples for scientists and experts to study back here in Earth. This will continue and facilitate the ongoing research and knowledge in space exploration. In addition, and more specifically and this would hopefully unveil more stories about our neighbour of whom we are still getting friendly with.

Lastly, I hope that in 2021 we will be more empathetic towards one another. The mental effects that the lockdown had on people were beyond unthinkable. This would hopefully make us realise the importance of being sympathetic and extending a helping hand whenever needed to friends, family and even strangers, be it online or on the streets.

I am excited to see how the world will recover and heal while still trying to innovate, share knowledge and become more resilient than it has been in decades.