2014 has been a year that has opened the eyes of many, and at the same time made us think of where the world is heading if you connect the dots of the past years. Unfortunately there is much more negative than there is positive, and it seems the influence of negatives has caused people to wake up and take notice in less than passive ways.
The big ticket items of 2014 include trying to deal with climate change, the explosion of Muslim related violence in just about every place you look, and dealing with leaders who display Narcissistic behavior.
Starting off with climate change because it will affect every living thing on the planet, there seems to be more cooperation from each countries politicians simply because they are needing to dig deeper into their wallets to offset the climate change damage that is already occurring in their countries. It has also become a significant issue on their respective election days. It has also gotten to the point that people that are denying that there is climate change going on are really starting to look like fools, idiots or some other unflattering descriptor to the people that have concluded climate change is underway by simply looking out their window.
As for Muslim violence that seems to be springing up everywhere, ISIS has taken the prize as being the most blood hungry. After watching a few YouTube clips of animals helping other animals of their own species, it is clear now that ISIS is below the standards of animals in nature. Examples include one turtle rolling over another turtle who was upside down and completely helpless. One monkey helping another monkey who was partially electrocuted. Also one Gecko working to free another from a snake who was looking to make a meal from the Gecko. Countless examples are available to watch from elephants, to water buffalo, to just about every species.
As for Narcissistic behavior in the news of 2014, Bashar al-Assad and Vladimir Putin top the headlines. Ironically they both seem to support each other, and both care more about their own egos than the people of their country. Between Bashar al-Assad bombing his political rivals and Vladimir Putin longing for the days of the USSR and wanting the Ukraine to come back into the fold, they have made significant news that includes shooting down a commercial aircraft that was technically above the war zone’s altitude window.
Malaysia flight 370 gets the mystery of the year award as nobody seems to know where it is. The theories of how it got there are plentiful ranging from conspiracy to just a freak accident that caused the pilots to die.
As for the in your face part of 2014, the title has to go to Nobel Peace Prize laureate Malala Yousafzai. The fact that she was shot in the head by the Taliban for her efforts towards education, and then received the world’s most respected award for her positive actions and efforts in the same, is clearly in the face of the Taliban. This is the same Nobel prize that was awarded toLiu Xiaobo in 2010 that cause the Chinese Government to blow a unit and go into very public spasms and convulsions. That was yet another in your face moment of similar magnitude.
As for other moments of things that went viral was the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge that spread all over the world. There was also other viral things like the Ebola outbreak, but that is a different and much more deadly type of virus.
So in summary, if you take the last several years and plot their dots, it is clear we are heading to a much darker place in 2015. The bright side of all of this is people are becoming more proactive and no longer seeing things as the problem of somebody else. There is a growing global choir to do something about people who are just out of control and perhaps powered by some mental illness.
