It was a lurching, stammering year that began in hope, flirted with whiplash, and shuddered to a halt. In 2021, miraculously effective vaccines showed up, a new President promised unity, and a jury convicted the man who killed George Floyd. It was also the year that supporters of the losing candidate took over the U.S. Capitol, Asian-Americans were given new reason to fear for their lives, and COVID-19 killed Americans at a faster rate than before free, life-preserving injections were available across the land. Is it any wonder that, from Naomi Osaka to Simone Biles, the deliberate preservation of mental health, of resilience, was a major theme?
But resilience was everywhere. The world emerging from the worst of the pandemic focused a new concentration on the intolerable inequities brought into high relief by lockdown, and climate change that made itself more evident by the day. If social media thrives on the strife that now defines our politics, we still know how to recognize the best in one another. The mantra of 2020 after all, was, “things will never be the same.” The work continues.
More Must-Reads From TIME
- The 100 Most Influential People of 2024
- How Far Trump Would Go
- Scenes From Pro-Palestinian Encampments Across U.S. Universities
- Saving Seconds Is Better Than Hours
- Why Your Breakfast Should Start with a Vegetable
- 6 Compliments That Land Every Time
- Welcome to the Golden Age of Ryan Gosling
- Want Weekly Recs on What to Watch, Read, and More? Sign Up for Worth Your Time
Contact us at letters@time.com