See you in 2021
A year and a half ago, I walked into the central kitchen in my office building and grabbed a sachet of Nestle’s Carnation. Before I could cut the sachet open, a colleague appeared from nowhere and gasped.
“I wouldn’t drink that if I were you,” She said, “Nestle uses child labour to make its products.”
I kept my head bobbing as she went on about Nestle’s history of allegations of child labour, pollution, price-fixing and much more.
When she was done speaking, I acknowledged the severity of those allegations, reminded her that we weren’t the same people and drank my afternoon cup of hot chocolate anyway.
In hindsight, maybe I shouldn’t have. I don’t know.
Here’s what I know: In the past ten years, I haven’t changed my preferred brands of hot chocolate, wristwatch, smartphone, hair gel, deodorant, clothing retailer, and so many other items that you would deem TMI.
Somehow, over the years, I bought into the loyalty culture of consumerism and unwittingly became an unpaid brand ambassador for corporations.
Then, 2020 happened.
2020 was the year we questioned everything but love and life.
This year forced us to reconsider everything we’ve known, believed and pledged our allegiance to. We lost more than we could count and it didn’t take long for many of us to realize that nothing matters more than love and life.
This year, we reimagined our world and considered how different it would be if we all acted from a place of love and cherished fellow human beings’ lives —regardless of their race, gender, age, religion, political affiliation, nationality and beliefs.
For some, this reimagination was enough to keep calm and be still. For others, it was the inspiration they needed to renew their minds, make new commitments and take action.
In times past, we might’ve remained loyal to products, brands, corporations, employers, religious organizations, political parties, public figures, relationships, and ideologies that were self-serving and threatened the good of humanity, one neighbour at a time.
We might’ve held on to these things because we were so comfortable and didn’t want to go against the flow. We might’ve been worried about our futures if we deviated from our norms. But this year took away much of what we were used to and laid bare, before us, the true essence of our being.
As we move on from 2020, remember all that you’ve learnt from this year. Stick to your new commitments. Disregard old and selfish ways of thinking. Continue to act from a place of love and cherish fellow human beings’ lives.
Now, I’m not saying you shouldn’t drink Nestle’s Carnation, buy that Apple product or add to your wishlist on that fast-fashion clothing retailer. That’s up to you, and I couldn’t care less about what you do with your money.
All I’m saying is: you’ve learnt so much from this year to retreat. Stay the path. Together, we can build a better future for ourselves and generations to come.
Thanks for reading my letters this year.
I appreciate you,
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