It’s a gloomy New Year’s Day in Ottawa. Dark, low clouds hanging over a drenched city. Snow—what remains of it—more brown and black than white. Grey, rotten ice clinging to odd corners and cracks on driveways and roads.
But at least the rain has stopped.
After four days of a miserable cold that exhausts me from even making a pot of coffee, that has kept me awake from three nights straight, I woke up this morning feeling a little better. Maybe this cold is starting to relax its grip.
I hope it’s a good omen, portending a better year than 2022.
2022 was for many, and for me personally, a hellish year. It began with my father dying of COVID-19. Then of course came Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Millions of Ukrainians left the country, adding to the—what is it now, 60 million displaced people in the world? If anyone organizes them, there will be another crisis that we’ve never contemplated before. 60 million people—that’s the population of the U.K.
Speaking of the U.K., they had their Year of Three Prime Ministers and Two Monarchs. Queen Elizabeth II, longest-reigning monarch in history, passed away. Not that I was ever a big fan of monarchs of any description, but that event left us with (I grit my teeth as I write this) King Charles III. Ugh.
And displacement and war continues in Syria, Yemen, Africa and elsewhere.
Then floods hit Pakistan, on top of political and economic crises. In Canada, the health care system in every province moved to the very brink of complete collapse as politician argue over funding, to hell with the suffering of sick and injured people.
The Iranian government continued murdering its own people for objecting to oppression. The Taliban in Afghanistan continued taking away women’s rights—that is, human rights.
Oh yes, and back to COVID—politicians are saying “it’s done.” Dougie Ford, the Premier of the province I live in, said during the election campaign the he’s “done with COVID.” Thing is, COVID is not done with us. Wastewater testing as well as total cases are higher now than ever before. And not just in Ontario. But we have to cater to the stupid who refuse to believe in something that’s killing vulnerable people. What’s next? Teaching flat-earth theory in public schools? Or creationism?
Inflation hit a high not seen in fifty years as corporations, which have been concentrating wealth and control faster and faster for a half-century now, take advantage of worldwide turmoil to jack up prices. Now even people with full-time jobs cannot afford to pay for both rent and food.
Let’s not leave out the increasing impact of climate change. Actually, let’s call it what it is, not what the fossil-fuel industry wants to call it: global warming. 100-year storms hitting every couple of months. Record-setting heat waves in Europe that dried up major rivers. Hurricanes hit North America from Florida to Nova Scotia and New Brunswick. And carbon emissions keep rising.
So on this gloomy New Year’s Day, I can only hope that 2023 will be a little gentler. That a few of us will see the damage we’re doing to each other and ourselves, and make some changes.
Let’s stay hopeful.