Surprised with the title? But you read it correct. “Thank you 2020”

Year 2020 has ended; a year that will always be remembered in history for the worldwide Pandemic Covid-19. COVID-19 is a deadly virus that emerged in Wuhan, China in December 2019. While the last days of 2019 were slipping away, the world was gifted this contagious disease for 2020, the year that absorbed all the blame.

Well, its not only the Corona Virus that made the year a bitter experience but there were quite a few occurrences that added to its bitterness. The Australian bushfire that burnt over 47 million acres and displaced hundreds and thousands of the natives; the U.S. and Iran tension ignited by the assassination of General Qassim Sulieman and fuelled by Iran’s retaliation and firing on U.S. Military bases located in Iraq; Kobe Bryant’s death in an helicopter crash; oil prices at rock bottom and losing its sheen; "Black Lives Matter" movement being trigerred with incidents of Racial Discrimination and the worldwide protests against it; the massive explosion at Beirut Port, killing hundreds and leaving thousands others injured; and the list continues. For the Residents of the Middle East, the cruellest among these agonising experiences was the sad demise of the Emir of Kuwait, H.H. Sheikh Sabah Al Ahmad Al Sabah and the Sultan of Oman, H.H. Sultan Qaboos bin Said.

The very thought of these tear-jerking events made our heart sink in despair and pain. There are an abundance of aching memories as everyone of us was on the losing side. Some lost jobs, some lost savings, some lost freedom to travel and above everything else many of us have lost near and dear ones to this Pandemic. Irrefutably, 2020 was a year of distress, a year that we would rather prefer to forget altogether, a year whose memories would be like a scar on our lives.

Still, we have reasons to be thankful to this year.

We are thankful to this year for all the turnarounds that happened, for the digital transformations that boomed overnight, for the environment returning to its natural beauty; for the lessons of unity, humanity and patience it taught. We are indebted to this year as it brought us closer to our almighty, the creator of this universe. We, humans, who had started assuming ourselves to be all self-sufficient, were awakened by this pandemic blow and we humbly bowed before and got connected to our creator.

With the outbreak of Covid-19, the entire world was in a state of shock and panic. If we go down the memory lane, we can recall the long queues outside the supermarkets when the first phase of lockdown was announced. Everyone was going crazy and hoarding as much food as possible.

With the lockdown imposed in March, nearly everywhere around the globe, our fast paced life came to a standstill. We started feeling handicapped, but slowly we learnt to confine ourselves to our homes, we learnt to survive on the basics; we learnt to be sincere even while working from home and as we adopted to this “New Normal” we limited our extra night outs, parties and gatherings and stared enjoying the company of our family. It is 2020 that brought us closer to our families - more time spent together, more concern for each other and the click of that extra bonding and support for each other. Thank you 2020 for that…

The lockdown also brought an era of less pollution, clean environment, the nature’s original allure, the chirping of the birds, the dancing of the dolphins and the blooming of the flowers. Again our gratitude to 2020.

The predominant leap that we saw during this pandemic is in the Digitalization process. Digital advancements happened at a pace that jumped few years in advance in just few months. Work from home, virtual meetings, online classes and the biggest of the celebrations happening on the virtual platforms, were all outcomes of the sudden digital boom. Not only in the developed countries but even in the underdeveloped world, technology was seen catching up ubiquitously.  The everyday changes and technological growth ensured a mass level involvement of the common man. This “Technology Boom” was indeed a blessing in disguise.

“Black Lives Matter”; the slogan gained popularity as a sign of protest against the coward act of Racial Discrimination. That one incident shook the entire world and more than anyone else, the White Americans were forced to ask themselves if this is the true America, the Superpower that they always claimed they were? That incident provoked humanity and the spirit of unity among different nations of the world. Thanks to 2020 for making the Humans “Human” again.

And yes, the regime change in the U.S. is a silver line in the dark clouds where everyone is hopeful of some economically favourable welfare decisions, international alliances, environmental protection and more. Year 2020 is the year when we witnessed the first woman and the first Asian American Vice President of the United States. Thank you 2020 for making us live this historic moment.

Notably we already have the significant breakthrough of the year in the form of the vaccine against Corona Virus. We are hopeful that with this vaccine we will be able to combat this deadly virus and save the world from the clutches of this pandemic. We are optimistic, we are strong in our faith; we are humble - humble enough to respect the destiny and say “Thank You 2020” despite all what we witnessed.