2016 was a Jabba the Hutt year; it wasn’t pretty, took more than it gave, and crushed whatever hopes we had to break with its chains. The year was so bad that not even Fidel Castro survived it, and there’s over 600 assassination attemps listed under his name. As a community we were taught a few lessons about loss, coping and empathy this year; about becoming united and stronger in the face of adversity.
Here are 16 reasons why 2016 sucked:
We lost:
Prince
Bowie
Leia
George Michael
Alan Thicke
John Glenn
And Alan Rickman
-That’s eight reasons
Social unrest due to civil rights violations are on the rise; officers shot and killed too many unarmed black men, Latinos and even white kids. Heck even female and Millennial police officers were charged for excessive force.
-That’s nine, ten and eleven.
Riots were everywhere and no one feels safe, not even in their own homes, after the Presidential Election. Why? Because the alt-right elected President Trump and designated him the patron saint of race and discrimination issues. The world thinks even lower of us in the USA now. Ugh!
-That’s three more reasons for a total of 14.
Then there was the #NODAPL war where our fellow Native Americans had to fight, to the death in some cases, to protect their sacred land. Even high profile celebrities like Mark Ruffalo and Shailene Woodley faced arrests for civil disobedience. It’s insane to think that the Army Corp of Engineers had to put a stop to this madness, using geology as a saving grace to halt construction because President Obama wasn’t moved to do more quicker and sooner. We even lost a little faith in him.
-That’s two more reasons to round it up to 16.
I know there are many more reasons this year sucked but all you need is one to realize it wasn’t so bad: we were able to survive it. A long as we breathe, we can focus on the positive and the opportunities will present themselves. Choose love over hate. That’s the only way to make 2017 great again.
Let’s rage against the dying of the light together.
Happy Holidays and New Year!
Mrs. Enginerd - Nerd Whisperer 