If I have ever doubted that we live in a super-messed up world, 2020 and 2021 have convinced me that we indeed do. Now TIME Magazine has published the top 100 photos of 2021 and I am now as pessimistic as I can possibly be.
“Remember when people thought it was the year? That 2020 was uniquely cursed, the worst year ever, that all would be resolved by January,” TIME writes. “Instead, 2021 has proved to be a fraught annum of unfinished transitions, half-kept promises, all torque and in-betweens.”
I can’t even start summing up 2021 globally because it will end in tears (both yours and mine). But it seems that this year has really been even crazier and scarier than “the worst year ever.” It started with the breach of the US Capitol on 6 January. For god’s sake, we didn’t even sober up from New Year’s Eve! It just got wilder from thereon, and it’s not even over yet. Sigh.
TIME’s top 100 photos reflect on some of the biggest events of 2021, both good and bad. The aforementioned US Capitol breach, George Floyd’s family cheering a jury’s verdict, the Taliban walking into Kabul; floods, volcano eruptions, droughts, fires… While the photos are stunning and moving, they just remind me that we’re most likely living the apocalypse. What a time to be alive.
Still, there are some bright moments, just to stop you from sinking all the way into nihilism. There’s at least one photo you’ll all recognize: Bernie Sanders and his mittens. That one went viral and it was turned into a gazillion memes that drew our attention from the chaos and mayhem around us.
To be quite honest, I wish TIME’s selection has included more photos that show the positives of life. I still believe that this world is utterly messed up, but somehow I still haven’t lost faith in humanity. But hey, that’s just me. You can take a look at all 100 photos on TIME’s website, and let me know how you like the selection.
[Image credits: TIME Magazine screenshot/ Emilio Morenatti]
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