2021: A look back
"It's a new day, a new dawn, a new life and I'm feeling good" this line from the hit-song Feeling Good by Nina Simone perfectly encapsulates our mood going into the new year. But we will all be lying to ourselves if we said we hadn't had our own fair share of problems throughout this year. Instead of focusing on the negatives, we decided to take a look back on the positives that happened this year to keep the mood light as we progress into 2022. Even though we feel this past year has zoomed by us, we can assure you a lot has happened. From the iconic Gabba test to the bull run in the stock market to the launching of the James Webb space telescope, this year has taken us on a wild ride.
Ever since the lockdown, we have been stuck at home and felt like we need an escape and we found that on the internet. From Instagram reels to YouTube Shorts to the new trends we found a way to be engaged and keep our minds in peace. Oddly satisfying videos gave us mental calmness from the stress we had to go through this year. New creators emerged and new content always found their way to their screens as the algorithms improved and we started to binge them. From “Stay” to “Driver’s license” to “Montero” we never ran out of music to vibe to.
Sports started to take place all around the world, behind closed doors at first, and quickly it managed to grab our attention and served as a means to get busy by supporting our favorite team. The World Test championship ended in heartbreak for the Indian fans, but those were one of the four finest days of Test cricket witnessed. But the year was not all gloom for the Indian team fans as they were able to witness James Anderson's off stump be nicked by Siraj at Lord's and a Rishab Pant drive to breach the fortress at Gabba. Chelsea was able to win the UEFA Champions League against Manchester City courtesy of a Kai Havertz goal and N'golo Kante bossing the midfield. But Manchester City proved too good for their arch-rivals Manchester United in the premier league by winning the title with a difference of 12 points. No one would have thought Lionel Messi would leave Barca, before the start of the previous season, but as all good things must come to an end, he finally switched over to PSG however that didn't stop him from winning his 7th Ballon D'or.
Instead of looking inward into ourselves, scientists and astronomers were able to expand our horizons by successfully managing to land rovers like Perseverance on Martian soil. They were also able to test The Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) which will serve as a planetary defense by crashing into the incoming asteroid and changing its impact trajectory. Space tourism also managed to kick off this year with prominent figures like Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos visiting space on a private shuttle. Finally, in December the long-awaited James Webb telescope was finally launched into space and we will be able to see things that have never been witnessed before. Who knows, one day it might unravel the mysteries of the universe.
"Look back at the past, but don't stare at it". There may not be a lot of positives this year, but we must always learn to look at the bright side. If we cling to the bad things that happened we will never truly learn to live. No one ever knows what this year will bring us, we cannot say with certainty that the year will be merry but good things start with us, and a positive mindset is what we need going into the new year. We, at The Bridge, wish all our readers a happy new year and hope you stay safe and be positive.
