Farewell 2020

Goodbye, 2020. This year has been difficult for everyone in some way or form and I know this year hit some families harder than others. I've been reading some mottos online for 2020. I have yet to come across one that really speaks to me. 

2020 has changed life in so many ways. It's crazy to think about. I keep thinking about how quickly it all happened. The timing for me might have been even more important since my spring break had just begun when the pandemic hit. So life was almost sectioned off neatly into two parts: at school before spring break of my upper-year and at home ever since. But the changes have been rapid and drastic, almost like living a dystopian novel. I wear a mask wherever I go, and I don't think anyone has seen my face for nine months. I haven't even touched the jeans sitting in my drawer, or the blouses that I would wear to classes. I dodge people when I run outside or go on walks, an action that may have been regarded as rude before. Now, people actually appreciate it when you give them their own side of the sidewalk. Companies have responded to these lifestyle changes (or the ones that will survive have!) and I feel it when I browse on their websites. When I see clothing companies advertise more "loungewear" for instance, it almost confirms a reality that's too incredible to believe.

But now, we're about to say farewell to 2020. And it's during this time of year that people often set New Year's Resolutions. Frankly, I've never been very good about remembering mine because the goals are often too specific. I believe that this explains why for most people, New Year's Resolutions do pertain to just the "new year." Or the first three to four-ish months of the year. 

Yet during our last prefect meeting of the year, one of my remote prefectees from Seattle introduced her tactic to countering the forgetfulness associated with resolutions. Rather than picking one specific resolution, she picks a theme for the year. I'm inspired by her idea and I'd like to try that this year. In fact, I didn't even create a resolution last year because experience taught me I'd likely forget it! But I'm going to create a one-word theme this year to focus on. Seems a lot easier to remember than oddly specific goals. 

HOPE

That's my theme for 2021 and I'm going to try to stick with it. There's lots of good to come in 2021. It might not happen in the early half of the year, but I'm hopeful that it will eventually. Hope will get me through next year.  

Farewell, 2020!

The oak and the willow

 “The oak fought the wind and was broken, the willow bent when it must and survived.”
― Robert Jordan, The Fires of Heaven

Quite symbolic of how I'm feeling right now. I sense the wind coming in my direction. I sense it pushing me over with an impulsive strength. Will I be the oak or the willow? I choose the willow, which means that I must keep myself afloat through these strenuous times. It will be OK. We will make it through. 

2030 by Dr. Mauro Guillén

Over Thanksgiving break (feels like a long time ago!), I read 2030 by Dr. Mauro Guillén from the Wharton School of Business. I think Guillén is one of the most innovative thinkers in this business world because he looks at business problems from a global lens. I took his Coursera course, called "Global Trends for Business and Society" after which, I just had to read his new book. 

Every time I pick up Guillén, I know I'm going to think about problems differently; he shifts my perspective. In 2030, Guillén focuses on what he calls "lateral thinking." Instead of thinking about problems as a trickle-down effect, he urges readers to see how one facet can relate to multiple problems, therefore, being laterally connected. 

Before reading 2030, I grappled with China's growing influence as an economic superpower. I realized that the problem in my thinking was that I failed to see that this was almost inexorable because of China's massive population. Not only that, but Guillén argues that in the next decade, the markets will considerably shift towards Asian consumer tastes. This arises from the fact that the middle classes in Asia are growing and the population is still relatively young. Naturally, if businesses are to profit, it would be prudent of them to shift their focus to the Asian markets. Perhaps this issue has become particularly prominent because of the US leadership in the last four years. Nonetheless, regardless of the policies Western countries may try to institute to protect commerce and business, a major problem still exists that may hinder all progress: demographic shifts that benefit the Asian market. 

I've also been challenged to think about aging populations. One statistic stuck out to me: the 60+ age group owns 80% of the wealth in the US and 55% globally yet only 1 in 7 companies properly targets this age group. Companies would benefit from creating products for this age group!

What also struck me was the fact that in the US today, there are 120 million people in the middle class – defined as a household making between $30k and $150k per year – and 121 middle people in the combined upper and working classes. There are more people on the extremes than in the middle. This is both an interesting and horrifying number. There seem to be many reasons for this, wealth inequality being one. But another problem is that there are fewer stable, high paying jobs in this country due to the emergence of the sharing economy. Consequently, millennials, defined as people born between 1980 to 1995, are having a hard time getting into the middle class because it's harder to secure those jobs. This is also contributing to the US's shrinking middle class, among other factors like higher divorce rates or putting off rites of passage like marriage. 

This brings me to the final point that really struck me from 2030. And it's that immigrants create an inexplicably positive impact on our economy. Immigrants pay more in taxes than they receive in benefits. That's the common reason I've heard cited before, except it's so much more than that. Immigrants tend to be either high skills or low skills workers, meaning they're filling in the jobs that we need most. They also tend to have more children, keeping our fertility rates up. Compared to their native counterparts, immigrants tend to save more money and aspire to own houses, cars, and get married, all of which benefit the recipient country and its economy. I am curious as to how subsequent decades will be shaped by the behaviors of the children of immigrants. 

I could go on and on about Dr. Guillén's work. He is truly an inspirational writer and thinker. I find myself citing his work even in my classes. I give 2030 five stars. It will truly change the way you think about the world. 

18

This past week, I turned 18, a big year for obvious reasons like legally entering adulthood. I'm both excited and nervous for adulthood for the plethora of other new responsibilities that come with it.  

I'm one week into adulthood and the funny thing is I feel far from it, a testament to the adage that "age is just a number." I'm feeling that peculiar misalignment right now because, for example, I'm supposed to pay taxes as an adult. But at the same, I'm an "adult" who still can't drive (or even has a permit for that matter). I'm also an adult who still lives with my parents as a "student." And I'm an "adult" who hasn't earned any assets of my own. I seem to be taking on multiple identities at once; I'm legally something I don't feel. 

That train of questioning led me to think, what's up with age? Do experiences define age? Does having done a certain "bucket list" of items define adulthood? Sometimes I come across super mature students who are younger than me who speak, think, and act nothing like their age. I can't help but wonder why. Perhaps they've simply lived through more dynamic or nonlinear experiences. For example, some of my older friends say that a major breakup in a relationship can "add years and wisdom." Or, experiencing the loss of a loved one engenders wisdom and age too.

Regardless of what the law says, I still feel like a kid at heart because I know I haven't experienced enough. I thirst to know what holds beyond high school, both socially, career-wise, and academically. I feel I have a lot of exploring – of both myself and the world – to do and until I acquire knowledge on that front, I don't think I'll ever "feel" like an adult. To me, it's almost the accumulation of experiences that define age. And some people get there faster than others and that's okay. Nonetheless, I cannot wait for what's in store in the upcoming years of adulthood.