20 Lessons Learned in 2020 (Part 3)

Wrapping up with part 3 of 20 lessons.

15. People love to hate.
I'm not a very trusting person. There are a precious few people that I trust. For the most part, it has taken time for that trust to evolve. This year I have become even more distrustful of people. I have been greatly discouraged to find out just how quickly people judge large people groups and act dismissively or even hateful towards them. Maybe it's because hating is easier than loving. Loving requires a relationship investment. The outright racism and silently complicit racism that still exists boggles my mind. The hate that exists between political parties or between social classes has deepened in 2020. It is shameful.

16. Ignorant people think their opinion matters.
It's crazy that we will listen to and give credibility to people that don't know what the hell they're talking about while ignoring the voices of experts, but it seems to be pretty common. Every dumbass with a keyboard and Facebook account (or Twitter - wink, wink, nudge) thinks their opinion holds equal weight with those that have devoted decades of study, work, and research in a particular field.

17. We (as a society) do not value life.
No, we don't. We value our life, not the lives of others. We value our way of life, but not your right to your way of life. We (as individuals) are unbelievably selfish.

18. You get to choose who you love and how you love. You don't get to choose who loves you or how they love you.
I'm not sure what to say about this other than I know people that desperately want people to love them that seem incapable of doing so or feel the need to put conditions or limitations on their love. It isn't always romantic love (in can be). It is often family or friends, and usually someone they love.

19. Learning usually means changing your mind.
A recent twitter question asked about perceptions of politicians that change their minds. Flip-flopping for votes is one thing. Changing your mind because you have learned something new or gained a different perspective is something else. If we are always learning, then our beliefs might always be evolving. I understand some people's beliefs because I once shared them. Remembering that I used to be like them can be difficult. Sharing what I've learned and why I've changed is usually challenging. It's weird how learning can create such a negative perception for so many people.  

20. I have an incredibly privileged life.  
I have a decent retirement income, a nice home on five acres of land, an incredible family, and more opportunity to live well than most people. We are not wealthy, not even well off. We are pretty solidly middle class, but we are most definitely privileged.
And the privilege is not lost on me. Now I need to figure out what I'm supposed to do with it.

Maybe that will be lesson #1 for 2021.

That's my 20.
What did you learn in 2020?

John