It starts with you.

The song Help by Papa Roach is my anthem of 2020. It is a current reflection of the many different global issues that need solving. The songs emphasis on struggling and battling temptations, darkness is the reality so many have found themselves in. Being quarantined at home has been a hard struggle for many, forced to face the constant battle of mental peace and clarity. Others are forced to turn to alcohol and various coping methods. The current situation has forced people to face themselves, it has prompted individuals to realize that they have been running and avoiding the problems. Self-isolation has been a time for self-reflection, a chance to better ourselves. It all starts with help.

This year of 2020 has been an epiphany and a wakeup call for so many around the globe. Between the pandemic of Covid-19, the Australian wildfires, and the brutal and unjust murder of George Floyd and so many other innocent souls. The realization that all is not okay, and that things cannot continue to go on this way has become the harsh and apparent reality.

Covid-19 brought the world to a grinding stand still. Borders closed, air travel seized, gatherings were banned, businesses shut down and online schooling was implemented. With so many forced to stay home without their daily distractions of school or work and plans with friends, many have had to face the demons they have been running from. Whether these demons are presented as mental health or an abusive parent, sibling, or spouse. An addiction that is fed and fueled at home. The common denominator is the need for help.

How do we ask for help? When will this help come? Who do we reach out to for help, if everyone around us needs some form of it?

The pandemic has ripped families apart, left children orphaned, parents now childless, morgues and mortuaries overflowing with the victims of this disease. We have lost brothers, sisters, mothers and fathers, uncles, aunts, nieces and nephews, friends, and spouses. With all the mourning surrounding us, there are still those who protest and refuse to follow the health guidelines to help stop the spread and save further lives. Why not? Because apparently having a haircut and tanning on the beach is more important than their health and the health of others. A sensible person who understands the gravity of the situation would say these people need help.

Global warming has been threatening and approaching over the past few years. Making its presence known through various changes, most commonly the ever-increasing heat. The Australian wildfires left a devastating trail of unrecognizable crisp ruins. Claiming 34 confirmed lives whilst leaving thousands homeless. Had we as humans been more aware and not taken the warnings so lightly, the wildfires would not have been as significantly bad as they were. Global warming is an ever-present threat that is not going to vanish with the weather. Our universe needs help, our world has been pleading with us to do better, be better, yet we continue to fail. We continue to refuse to do what we need to do to help. Without our help, our planet will continue to deteriorate.

A vast majority of us have seen the disturbing and callous murder of George Floyd. As he slowly suffocated pleading and begging for help, pleading for the right to breathe. How cold and disturbing that he was denied this right. A man lost his life; laying in the street like a lost glove washed away by the rain. Pinned to the ground, unable to move, unable to do one of the easiest things that come so naturally to us; breathe. All his suffering and his death, for what? Because of the color of his skin he is seen as undeserving to live, undeserving of breath, undeserving of dignity and undeserving of help. Being black should not be the reason that your life is taken from you, it should not be the reason that one must endure such violence and cruelty. We as a society, as a community and as a world need to come together and help each other. Racism is not an issue that is prominent in north America alone, it is a global issue, a disease that is taught and welcomed. It is promoted, accepted, and institutionalized. It does not end with black people, racism is inclusive of all, it seems to depend on where you go.

2020 has spoken, it has shown and given us the chance to learn, grow and become better. Take the time presented to you to help yourself, help those around you. Help bring about the changes that are so desperately needed in this world. The acknowledgement that something is wrong is always the beginning, what we do to remedy the situation is entirely up to us. If you are struggling with mental health, reach out. If you know someone who is being abused, it does not have to be you or someone close to you for you to care, speak out, get them help. If you witness racism, stand up and stop it. Educate those around you. Lastly, if you are racist then it is time to wake up. Living life with hate in your heart based on no wrong but one’s skin color is unacceptable. Hate of any kind is unacceptable. Open your hearts and open your minds. Let us help make this world a better place.