Describe an event in the world that has impacted you this year. How? Why?
The state of politics in the United States is troubling and depressing. Concerned for the future of our children and nation
Climate change and our killing the earth. I try to not use disposable things and if I do, I try to reuse them. It really is a rough time between hateful politics and terrible Internet trolls and corruption. It is hard to be positive and not become angry all the time.
The Jason Van Dyke trial and verdict in Chicago brought the intersection of race, discrimination, corruption, segregation, and justice to the forefront of minds for chicagoans, whether they had followed it from the beginning or were just learning about the history and deep webs of a coverup, privilege, and power. The city prepared for the worst and for us, it was on a day intended to be opportunity opening—bringing high school students from neighborhood schools into the towering offices built on capitalism to build networks, learn skills, and expose new possibilities. The parallels between the two aren’t so different, one just exposing systems of oppression and supremacy and another edging the door open between different worlds, an effort to forge mutual understanding and close ever so slightly the divide. The buzz of the room and energy shifted from being about learning, relationship building to problem solving and an exit strategy. No one wanted to leave this space, a peak into the future, while the sobering reality of a verdict to be read in 30 minutes snapped us into action to reclaim safety and familiarity. The Loop locked down, preparing for the worst, although we were in a world that made this reality possible. Youth dispersed into cars, back to their neighborhoods, places not always known for safety but the place where community and home can wrap around you for security. Tension loomed. Each charge read one by one. Guilty. Guilty. Guilty. Sixteen times. A small chip away at injustice and towards accountability. The opposite of an anticipated uprising would have been celebration, but there is no celebration when this is one case amongst the sea of names we all do not know. Each youth arrived home safely, each grappling with their own meaning . Hope, relief, gratitude. Confused, wanting more, craving more. The work is never done, there is never enough. For a brief moment though, when context is out of mind, it feels like progress and possibility.
Pittsburgh Synagogue shooting. Brings all the hate too close to home.
Shooting at Pittsburgh synagogue and other acts of anti-Semitic violence. Fueled my motivation for joining the temple security committee.
How can I even pick just one? The world is an absolute dumpster fire right now due to poor leadership, no vision, and a regressive mindset in our politics.
Finding out that my sister has the start of dementia. Having taken care of my mom through that disease it just sent an ache through my whole soul for her
the larger discussion about climate change makes me more and more aware of how I am contributing but also how little I can do on an individual level to fix anything.
Trump is horrible,& I worry about our future with climate change. So worried about the next election although I'm gratified & excited the impeachment process has started.
The ongoing climate change is devastating to watch and I feel helpless. The destruction of our oceans.... the planet... it is almost too much to bear and I worry for my baby boy to come into this world at such a time....
I think we are a at a point in the world where nothing impacts me, I'm so numb to the news that every breaking story is just another in a long line. People shot, stabbed, poisoned, beaten, robbed and raped. Police officers being run over, politicians co-ercing with foreign enemy powers, groping women, breaking the law and denying it. Grown men bullying Greta Thunberg, a 16 year old ablaze with righteous fury on the state of the planet and how we got into this mess. I'm so tired. There is no one event that has impacted me. They all do, and none.
Well, the same kind of things as last year. Whole swaths of the earth burning. The one most covered by the media was the Amazon burning, and people seem to be waking up and realizing what is happening in the world. I really hope that this is true and means that we have more people on the side of the earth, the animals, and the trees to stop the sixth mass extinction. If not, we may loose the biodiversity we can't afford losing, and the future of humanity is a lot less interesting, a lot more bleak, and in the worse case my child has no future at all.
NZ prime ministerJacindaArdern’s response to the Christchurch massacre. She was generous and embracing of all people in her community, particularly Muslim people who were the target, and showed the world how to lead with kindness. This was inspiring to me as it showed a powerful female leader doing it differently. She’s amazing.
Very affected by the rise of racism and xenophobia in this country. This month will mark the anniversary of the shooting at the synagogue in Pittsburgh that affected my family personally, since my brother is a leader in the Jewish community there. In a broader sense, I feel as though I am watching again what happened in the early years of the Holocaust and trying to figure out how to prevent it for others, as (despite the synagogue events) I don't feel personally targeted. Just signed up and did training to do medical exams for asylum-seekers. Now looking for an opportunity to do it for real.
The Christchurch mosque shooting in march definitely impacted not only me but the entire country this year. It was a moment of profound grief for our Muslim community and a realization that we are not the safe place we are often thought of. It also brought the whole country together in support of each other, with vows to frown upon extreme racism, sexism, and to an extent homophobia and transphobia from now on. I can only hope we are successful.
Nothing has impacted me directly but I think political world events are creating a problem for society which is very polarised you are either in agreement or if you defer you get outcast, there is no room for healthy debates neither at work places or in family gatherings
The removal of children from their parents at the border has profoundly impacted me. It is constantly on my mind and heart. I continue to be profoundly touched by seekers' stories and profoundly angered by the inhumane way in which we are allowing our government to treat these seekers.
All that Brexit drama. I had an opportunity to go to London for work, and I think I sabotage myself into not getting the job because of that. It was scary to be in London and seeing the city flooded with cops all over the place. It is as if they are about to go to war amongst themselves! The moment I didn't get the job I felt relieved. Brexit was really stressing me out.
BREXIT! Arrghh, I have had enough of it. I feel as if we are being so worn down by all the dialogue that at the end we will be so weary, we will agree to anything. Also I'm embarrassed at the worlds perception of our country; we look so weak, disorganised and incompetent.
Not one event but all of the climate change events and the increasing pressure to become vegan - it has increased my anxiety levels. I have hugely reduced my meat intake which I personally feel is enough but the constant bombardment of these messages is adding to my anxiety levels nonetheless.
It seems there's no end to the chaos in the news, and much of feels impactful to me personally, but I guess when trying to describe how it has actually impacted me personally I come up short. But then that just speaks to the privilege I experience in everyday life. I guess that's the biggest impact of all the world's events over this last year. I am more aware now of my privilege than ever before. And also, hopefully, more compassionate.
I guess, it's not one singular event but multiples of the same. The almost weekly stories that you hear regarding mass shootings in the US. Every time that I hear another one of these stories it really make me appreciate how lucky I am to not only live in Australia, but also that my parents decided to leave South Africa when I was still a baby. I cannot fathom what it would be like to live in a place where crimes like these ( or worse ) are highly prevalent. Of course these things can happen anywhere and anytime, but Australia is home to me. I've always felt extremely safe and secure here.
the ibiza affair in austria impacted me a lot. it was shocking how politicians act, when they think there is no public around! and this affair impacted the whole political system in austria!!
Rosh HaShana
Watching Greta Thunberg and a growing army of young people tackle climate change. This brings me both despair and hope: despair that my generation has allowed this much destruction and hope that a younger one is marshaling the strength to stop it.
Brexit and politics. Seeing how one sided people can be calling other racist etc. I believe it's okay to support which ever part is good for you. It hurts me to see how divided we are.
One event that has happened in the world that has impacted me and a lot of people in massachusetts is the bombing of the Saudi Arabian oil plant. After this bombing occurred, it was determined that Iran was responsible for the attack which was extremely concerning for the United States. The Saudi Arabian power plant has the world's largest reserves of oil, with approximately 265 billion barrels equivalent to about 20% of the world's oil reserves. Recently the Saudi arabian prince announced a warning against Iran and their threat to global oil and peace. As myself and many of my friends are turning eighteen, I become a little nervous as the US is in a constant fear of entering a war and I would be the first ones drafted to serve. Not to say that I would necessarily mind serving my country, but the fact that I could be drafted because they need my help specifically is scary. Another impact that this attack had on my life is on the financial side. Being a teenager there are not many jobs available that pay more than $12 per hour, and it can sometimes be difficult to save money if you are constantly spending on new clothes, food and gas. This attack certainly made gas prices higher in my town by around $0.50 per gallon at each station. And with larger cars there are a lot more gallons that you need to put in each week, resulting in more money being spent on gas that week directly because of these attacks. Finally, this is being ranked the worst distribution of the World’s oil supply at a loss of 5.7 million barrels lost each day compared to the 5.6 million lost during the Iran revolution. Meaning that it is not likely to see these prices stay high for a little while longer, but they should not be rising anymore than they already have.
Greta Thunberg, sailing from Europe to the States to attend a UN meeting and several protests in a movement about doing what we can to save the earth. She's the first thing that came to mind, perhaps because she is helping to bring and keep the environment in focus this election cycle. The primaries are in full swing, with the field of candidates already narrowed to about 10 on the dem debate stage. All of the things in the world are effecting me, even if I don't feel them dramatically. The trade war Trump has started with China making VEX products more expensive (among other things) and Mexico avocado imports--scarce and expensive. Lori Lightfoot was one of two black female queer candidate toprunners for Mayor of Chicago--something not even Chicago had done/seen yet. And we finally have a democrat again in the governor's office, a Northwestern alum in JB Pritzker. I'd say my bubble of liberalism and the ideas that matter to me politically and socially have really ticked up this year around me, breaking the surface of the otherwise crushing sea of debt and capitalism which I keep treading. Last year, I wrote about Brett Kavanaugh. He is on the SC now, and, there have been several strict abortion laws in different states this year after his election, testing the waters, trying to find a million cuts to strike down Roe. That perhaps is one of the scariest things, still, always, that's out there. Because if the religious right can move that mountain, i'm not sure there is a safe future for my kind here. My city may be taking back Sunday, but not every city is.
A young girl in Queensland began the Straw No More movement to remove plastic straws from use. A young girl from Sweden began a movement for school kids to protest about Climate Change and took her message to the USA. This world is the one my grandkids will inherit. Let’s make a difference.
An event in the world that has impact me this year....well, I'm not sure if it was technically this year or not but I'm going to go with the shooting at MSD High School in Parkland, Florida. These mass and school shootings really impact me because of their sheer violence and disregard for human life. While I am well aware of the many factors that impact these tragic events, what I don't understand is why our government and legislators aren't doing more to curb the serious gun epidemic we have in this country! While many would disagree with me, I am of the idealistic mindset to take ALL guns off the streets; "Yes, I am coming for your guns!". I wasn't raised around guns, I have shot them in a safe environment but find no enjoyment and am in fact very uncomfortable around guns. Why should children EVER have access to such serious weapons?!?! I know that will never happen, but that is where my head is at after viewing so many devastating mass shootings over the past several years.
It seems every day in 2019 brought another event, real or perceived. These events make it hard to listen, difficult to care and impossible to have conversations with Tom. He and I are living in a home with no discussion about events that clearly effect our future and the future of our family. It saddens me, makes me feel empty, so I lean on my children and community to fill me up.
Toooooooo many. Citizenship question trying to be added to the Census. First time I've been on the frontlines of an issue. Brett Kavanaugh being added to the Supreme Court. The massacre in Pittsburgh.
Oh, where to start. The fires all over the planet, extinction of species, marine plastics, over consumption, floods, hurricanes... and the rise of hope for the future in the form of Greta Thunberg and other young activists are the things that have stirred me into action. I've been campaigning about climate change since I was 16 (nearly 40 yrs ago) and I feel like no one has listened to any of the science, the reasoned arguments or the evidence right in front of them whenever there is a catastrophic natural event. I have spent a long time angry and frustrated by the arrogance and ignorance of humanity and this year has been a culmination of those feelings. So, I've become an active member of Poets for the Planet because they are protesting in the way that I know I can support: with kindness, intelligence and carefully crafted words.
I was happy because donald trump iz getting impeached.
The crisis at the border deeply affected me this year-- all the reports of kids being torn away from their families, people locked in cages without food, water, or medical attention. The echoes of the Japanese internment camps during WWII were easy to hear. I always knew that some people within this country were capable of such awful things, but to see it play out so vividly was sickening. It mobilized me to join the Hopkins student campaign to get the school to drop its contract with ICE. That in turn led me to working with Students Against Private Police, with the nurses union. It felt like the starting point for lighting me up again, making me DO something. The pain was to large to just sit there.
The Pittsburgh and Poway shootings have had a deep impact on me, both in helping to define part of my purpose within Jewish communities (e.g. organizing high holiday safety teams and challenging what's possible) and in my own identity development/reflection.
The synagogue shooting in Pennsylvania has affected me both personally, through my teacher in my ordination program, and by way of new security protocols at our shul which I both dislike the necessity for and feel are inadequate in a real emergency. Other shootings and hate crimes against Jews and others seem to have no resolution. The hate isn't going away.
The continious mis reporting of local and international events has made me wonder about the 'norms' I felt I was comfortable with. What is the trusth and how do I fit in to this world where integrity is continually being defiled and redefined by politicians aided by media owners who have no integrity!
It is becoming so much harder to be a light with so much fear. The synagogue shootings and the guard that ran over the Jewish protesters at the ICE detention center in Central Falls made me scared as a Jew. On the plus side it seems that Brexit is not going to happen and Greta Thunberg is a bad ass.
Wow— the entire political atmosphere is frightening to me. The dissolution of our country’s values—the deep divide, the growing xenophobia & white nationalism, the increase in mysogeny, the limiting of women’s health care, the potential rise of authoritarianism in our supposed democracy. I am afraid, especially for my children & grandchildren. Jews in this country enjoy the same status in society that they did just before the holocaust. Now is not the time to be quiet. Apathy is not an option. So, I join an occasional protest, I register voters, I make calls to my representatives, I donate to campaigns I hope will change the direction. Hoping for a course correction is not enough. I must do more.
Trumps destruction of norms and this xenophobic tendency to cut off America from the rest of the world. We are so divided and I have no idea how this will all play out Today is 10/2/19 and we are in the midst of this Ukraine issue. Will it even be remembered a year from now or will we be careening towards the next election?
The shooting in El Paso. I know racism and racist violence has existed forever, but this just really scared me, that random folks who looked Latinx were killed by someone with a gun. My partner and her family are Colombian.
The Amazon is burning. We are truly hitting crisis mode on our relationship to the environment. I am very frightened that we will see complete irreversible degradation of the Earth and the breakdown of civilization in my lifetime.
Tough question to answer this year. I could and would continue to say Trump's rampage on a worldwide scale. Everything that comes out of that man's mouth is complete and utter trash. That being said, I'd rather focus on something slightly smaller scale and say that Free Solo winning the Oscar this year was a big impact. It was one of the most recent documentaries that I watched that allowed me to see the craft of documentary filmmaking in a different light. Incredibly well edited and put together. A documentary that transcends "documentaries" and is accessible (and gripping) for all.
The White Oak pastures report came out proving rotational grazing is carbon negative meat production. There's finally research to back up what we've been saying and its amazing. https://blog.whiteoakpastures.com/hubfs/WOP-LCA-Quantis-2019.pdf
ProfitCON 2019. Most genuine friends, many positive vibes. Need More of that daily.
Brexit - the uncertainty, did I vote in the right way??
The shooting at Tree of Life Synagogue - Or L'Simcha in Pittsburgh has shaken me to my core. At the time, I worked retail in an area that wasn't very Jewish, and in the weeks after I felt very visible, and not always in the best way. I hate that it took this terrible tragedy (and the one in Poway exactly six months later) for people to understand that antisemitism is still a threat. Unfortunately, we still have a long way to go, and I look forward to using my voice in the upcoming election.
The increasing evidence that Global Warming is happening now with erratic weather occurring more frequently with devastating results. Anxiety about what this means for younger generations, anxiety about will we do what is necessary as a community of the world. What can I do???
The Tree of Life synogague shooting had a huge impact on me this year. It not only changed my work life (I work at a Jewish institution) but it also changed about how I feel about being a Jew living in the United States. I always considered the U.S. a safe place for Jews. After all, my grandparents had escaped Nazi Germany and been safe and accepted here. However, the shooting at a synogogue shook my family, my community and myself. It shattered the idea that we were safe and accepted here in the United States. It makes me think that maybe my family and I would be better off somewhere else.
The Tree of Life synagogue shooting last fall has been incredibly impactful to me, although it's not something I necessarily think about every day. But it served as a reminder that when anyone is unsafe in a nation, everyone is unsafe in a nation, and it makes it even more complicated to be a Jew and a mother in this country right now.
The synagogue shootings in Pittsburgh and Poway (California) come immediately to mind. Although these were nothing compared pogroms past, and the responses of love and support by so many non-Jews has been comforting, I don't think there is a Jew in America who has felt one hundred percent the same as before these shootings. The thought that it can happen here is what makes it so unsettling.
I don't know how to answer this because for all that I've tried to disengage from the world more, there's too much. It's everywhere. It's so depressing, so chilling. So demoralizing. I feel selfish shutting it out and helpless when I try to do anything. But the mass shooting here in Dayton. That broke something in me that I thought already broken. How do we keep going with this in the air everywhere?
The wars in Syria and Yemen. Depressed, saddened and frustrated me.
The Kavanaugh confirmation hearing- it was so upsetting and triggering and also affirmed how much we don’t listen to women.
I tend to avoid the news nowadays because it's essentially become a tabloid. They recycle the same stories that are the most shocking and not necessarily news worthy, they just do it for ratings because the cable industry is dying to internet streaming. Anyway, a world event that impacted me this year is probably all of the trade wars with China because I've noticed that my money doesn't go as far in this economy. I was doing way better off 4-8 years ago under the previous administration and economy. I don't mind being frugal at all, but it's different when you make a good salary and it's difficult to just stay afloat.
Climate change and Brexit. Neither of these has had a direct impact on me but a ripple effect. I became aware while swimming in Fiji in the Pacific and in local waters that there are hardly any fish and they are all small. I looked at my bathroom and saw how much plastic we use. I have listened to politicians about Brexit and felt how self absorbed they have all been. I listen to millenials and feel that they wish to protest about and blame others but that they need to take the reigns and assume responsibility. It is time to stop making lots of noise and act.
We are living under the new Nixon, the new Hitler, or both, but in denial about it. I feel like a character in "In the Garden of Beasts" -- spending my days in oblivion while history is being made around me.
The rise of Greta Thunberg. The collective celebration of anger as a symptom of our times distresses me.
The Tree of Life shooting last October shook me in a way other tragedies did not. Perhaps it was the immediacy of the location to my original home. Perhaps it was the way people like me--other Jews--were targeted. Whatever the reason, it had a profound impact on me and my realization for how terrible people can be. And they can be terrible. Every time I have had a realization like this, it has pushed me toward one of several reactions, none of them mutually exclusive: It has either augmented my feelings of compassion toward others, or it has caused me to withdraw, or it has caused me to zoom out and consider bigger questions of how we move through life. While the events that trigger these reactions are horrific, these reactions are all positive, and I am using these events in the right way. What I need to work on is making sure that these reactions lead to better action from me on a daily basis.
Hmm. The whole world is on fire. I think the overwhelm of the news in general has made me want to live under a rock. Maybe it's Pittsburgh? I missed Pittsburgh so much this year. I've felt vaguely unsafe, and anxious all the time. It's a horrible time. Did the Mueller report come out this year? Maybe it's the impeachment news giving me a little hope, or the Israeli elections? Everything seems to either add to the general malaise or lift me just slightly, not really enough.
Climate change--what is wrong with everyone? Do they really not care about the future?
Man, there have been so many world events. Cummatively, there seems to be an uptick in hate and intolerance that disturbs me a great deal. At the same time, it offers opportunities to be more involved in social justice and outreach. To be the change I want to see in the world.
The rolling shitshow of the Trump presidency continues to be the "world event impacting me"--it's an aggregation of events, it's everything all of those craven people do. Besides very much altering my basic, blithe, white U.S. citizen sense of "it can't happen here," the current climate has changed my self-education. For a long time I really was just moving through life thinking racism was mostly fixed, never REALLY examining the legacy of slavery and genocide that is in the cellular structure of this country. There is SO MUCH good information about all of this now, books and podcasts and long-form reporting, and I could spend my days filling up on this stuff. I am even now sitting on a pile of ProPublica investigations (these ones aren't specifically about racism, but about other fucked up stuff that traditional media doesn't have the bandwith to report on, or maybe the interest, or the directive from on high, or the freedom) that I intend to read, because I want to keep informing myself, and understanding more about what we are really up against. I'm still not sure what I'm going to DO about any of it, though, besides voting and donating money. I know there are more opportunities in my life to be of service to other people, and I hope by this time next year I have answered this for myself in a satisfactory way.
This year, sadly there have been to many shootings and acts of hate that have taken place. It makes me feel very nervous about the future or our world, and raising a son in a world. I hope we can outweigh these negative feelings with acts of love and kindness.
I think a lot of people have continued to attend the climate strikes, which is important and makes me hopeful. Extinction Rebellion is now a thing, which is good.
There isn't one single event that has happened but a culmination of them that has really impacted me emotionally but not really impacted my life right now. One of them was the states passing restrictive abortion laws, like OH 'heartbeat bill.' I feel like the state of the country is so sad right now, with everyone divided and everyone wanting to impose their beliefs and will on others without seeing the irony of it. It's really made me sad for the country and contemplating not living here any longer.
Greta Thunberg - She has shown how urgent climate change has been. She has also shown that one person CAN make a difference. I have been so impressed with her resolve. I have also been disgusted with some politicians toxic views and remarks about her.
I haven't paid much attention to climate change. I have a fairly efficient car, recycle, and try to avoid single-use plastics thinking that was enough on my part. But the heat in NC, the hurricanes, and the wildfires raised my awareness. Seeing a teenager speak out about the inaction governments and corporations and watching the climate deniers in government hide evidence has motivated me. I am making small changes. This fall I am planting more trees in my yard and I am converting to a clover lawn. These are small, affordable steps, but doable. I am looking for more doable steps as I speak out to my legislators and oppose any actions by corporations to do further damage. It is a start.
The various revelations of how the family separation policy of this current administration demonstrates a kind of Gestapo-style sadism that I never thought I would see from American police -- these revelations have shaken me. I teach at a university in a red state. One of my students, a bright young woman from Honduras, told me with tears in her eyes that she was afraid of ICE coming to our campus and sending her back, despite the fact that she has a legal visa to study in this country. I do not think her fear is irrational. I have been making discreet contacts with other professors on campus so that we have a plan, not unlike an active shooter drill plan, of what we will do to protect our students from ICE in such an event. Surely the lesson from the Shoah for all humanity is that if Anne Frank asks you to hide her, you hide her. Never again, not on my watch.
The suicide bombs in Sri Lanka. I visited there 2 and half years ago and I absolute loved it. The people, the culture, the food, the views! It made me so sad that such a horrible thing happened over there and that as a result their tourism would suffer. It was a harsh reminder of how dangerous the world can be. Boris Johnson becoming PM was a tough pill to swallow. I still can't believe it happened, and that he is running the country. Politics is just a joke at the moment and it saddens me there is no one I relate to or want t support.
I haven’t been exposed to many media sources this year since I quit watching the news and unplugged from social media. In my own world, I made it to the end of the road and think I may be here again. The end of the road is an intersection of choice. Move forward as we are or change directions completely. I’ve let go of the illusion of all safety nets, including a typical career and a structure to call home. And all this time I have been provided for as I continue to practice spiritual disciplines and go where I am guided. I wonder what’s next?
The ongoing tyranny of the president and senate. It’s terrify and makes me almost numb with rage and fear and hopelessness. Indivisible helps. The shooting at Tree of Life and so many police on black person killings bring me back to pre-civil rights lunching days. Global protests help, but it won’t end until this administration is out. Hearts and minds may not change, but policies will.
The continuous posing and lying by our president (Donald Trump), and the blind acceptance by so many Americans of his wilful disregard of laws and the underlying foundations of our democracy, have made me very anxious about the future of our country and our world. I worry so much about how our kids are going to fare.
So many events to choose from - the world is a scary place right now. I'll have to go with the current impeachment hearings. This president is so corrupt. The fact that Republicans support his unethical behavior is upsetting. But it also makes me realize just how upset Republicans must have felt about Clinton, who was not exactly an ethical man himself. It is interesting to me how we humans will bend our morality to serve our own agenda. I think all humans do this. But the degree to which individuals will go varies, obviously. I know Ive done it too. Im not proud of that and I wish I could go back in time and make different choices. (Obviously, the extent to which I have done this is not on the scale of Trump. He is in a category of his own. But I think if we were all honest, we can see ways in which we each have bent the truth/stretched/justified our definition of what is right/wrong to serve our wants.)
PRESIDENT TRUMP! While I am privileged to not be directly under attack by his actions, it seems like the Trump Presidency has pervaded all aspects of American life. Will 5780 bring impeachment?
I could talk about all the horrible things that have happened this year throughout the world and in my country. Instead, I have chosen to try to focus more on the things that are helping make this country better. I believe that just "good vibes" and "thoughts and prayers" don't work, that you have to put physical effort into making change. But if you build yourself, your body, your mind, your community, your world on a foundation of positivity then you will have a sturdier home to live in. If you have a specific thought or ideal in mind, and you look to surround yourself with that thought or ideal, you will inevitably find that thought or ideal in the world. I have tried to take more time to find stories of the fighters, the activists, the peacemakers, and the people who could one day save us from ourselves. I share these stories more than the bad ones, because I feel that helping to spread positivity can inspire others to action. A hoard of people inspired by change can get more done than a hoard of people who are just angry. Don't complain, find ways to solve your problem.
Honestly, every day is a fresh horror with the current US administration. I no longer fully have trust or faith in our government, or in our system of checks and balances. Even with the current impeachment inquiry happening, I feel skeptical about whether anything will actually come of it. I feel like we've been here before, and there have been no consequences thus far for this president's lies, misdeeds, and blatant corruption. I hope I'm wrong. I hope this is the turning point. But I'll believe it when I see it. It's impacting me especially hard because so many things *also* feel difficult and hopeless and out of control in my personal life. Nothing (at the macro nor micro level) feels fair or stable or just, and as a result I've become so much less optimistic and open, and so much more cynical and jaded this year than ever before. It's really sad to witness. Feels like a slow motion car crash that I'm helpless to stop.
The continued chaos that is in the White House
Mostly I am just sad about politics. Please please please let him not be re-elected.
All the Trump stuff.....it's so discouraging and anxiety inducing.
I hate to say it, but the Trump administration. The dozens - hundreds - of horrific events that have happened in the past year have been a visceral drain on my mental capacity to keep up, my attention, my stamina, my mood, and my capacity for hope. Current events have been a source of real despair in this past year, and I'm trying to figure out how to buoy myself in order to stay strong, calm, and engaged, ready to do the important work necessary in 2020
Whew. This is a tough one, especially as impeachment inquiries have just started as of last week. But I think the one that has has the most impact on me personally was the Pittsburgh Tree of Life shooting. It was the first time I've really felt the danger of attending services, of my child being in synagogues six days a week, and of trying to find how to still feel safe in public spaces at all.
I’ve actually gone a little bit numb. So many mass shootings, and the amazon burning, and Trump atrocities daily. I’ve kind of shut down in outside news in order to preserve my sanity. I feel like I should be out in the streets everyday shouting about it, but I can’t do that and support my family.
I think this is technically last year, but close enough. The courage and vulnerability of Christine Blasey Ford during the Brett Kavanaugh hearing was inspirational. She is a hero for all women throughout the ages who have ever been been forced, pressured or coerced into sexual activity. A few months after that, I had a deep reflection of my own past and awakened to the truth that I was raped when I was 15, an event that until now I had written off as just a bad memory. The truth is that no matter how many times I said no, I was continually pressured, guilted, manipulated, drugged and belittled until I gave in. That is still rape. I struggled with that because until now my definition of rape meant being physically forced, so I shamed myself for giving in. But there is a level of rape that is emotionally forced, and this more subtle brutality confused me into thinking it was my fault. Acknowledging this released a lot of stored energy and shame that I had been carrying for 20 years. Thank you, Christine Blasey Ford, for reliving your trauma publicly so that I could heal my own.
Anyone who is not answering heightened awareness about catastrophic climate change is lying to themselves.
There are so many, I am numb. Donald Trump, the Russian interference, climate change, mass shootings, natural disasters, fracking, plastics, antisemitic violence, healthcare, Me too, family separation at the border. I'm sure there's more--I've lost track. I am embarrassed for our country and afraid for myself, others, and the future. I try do what I can in the course of my other life responsibilities, but feel like it can never be enough and am overwhelmed. And so that leaves me with addressing the only thing I can actually control, which is how I react. And though I currently manage to not fall into despair, I feel guilty for not taking more action. Does this call for self-forgiveness? Probably. But it also demands action, but which? Do I protest and rally? Sometimes. Sign petitions? Not anymore. Send money? Once in a while. Write/call my congressmen? Once in while/no. Been active in the elections? Some. I guess this is more that most people, but certainly less than I am capable of. I wrestle with balancing this with managing my life and addressing my own self-care and spiritual development. If it's for the sake of all sentient beings, does that make it less selfish? Is habituation to all of a this an appropriate survival mechanism or is it an excuse for inaction?
The apparent disregard for life in Baltimore City. Innocent people are being shot every day. Makes me not want to travel into the city any more. I'm concerned to be walking down a street thinking a car that drives by will have someone with a gun shooting at random. All this, just because they can. Same as last year.
Close to home, my wife spent about a quarter of the year unemployed, which sent our finances spiraling. It has increased our debt, impacted our social lives, disrupted our security. In a larger way, not one event, but just the overall political climate, the shifting global economy. It's very emotionally draining and leaves me feeling hopeless that things will ever improve.
It's not one event but a series. Climate, Ford being elected (ugh) , white supremacy on the rise, cuts cuts and more cuts. At a time when we should be coming together fighting for our lives we are getting more and more divided. Cruelty and selfishness is the game of the game. Protection of money, of narratives, of mythology, all stand in the face of progress and saving our world so our children/all children can live freely and with agency and dignity. I am angry at the system that is choking everyone of us and is choking the planet. I feel hopeless as even hough millions of people are marching throughout the world - the powers that be, the corporations, are doing NOTHING! All these issues are intertwined and endemic of a broken and hateful system
Ugh, I guess Brexit. Given I now freelance for a European company, it's probably going to get a lot more awkward for me if it happens. Not to mention travelling to Europe for work... And it feels like it's constantly hanging over you. I'm still hoping it doesn't happen. We'll see in a year I guess, good luck future me!
I live in Israel and have a horrible feeling that the current political situations in both Israel and the US are going to have a lasting negative impact on all of us.
Not one event but a theme. A theme of death and failure. Two very close deaths and the biggest failure of my life. This doesn't have to define me and I can make it through this! I mean I lost my parents and survived so I can survive this!
The dumpster fire that is the Trump presidency continues, and other countries are having similar right wing populist sorts of swings, along with the rise of anti-semitism, racism, sexism... the works. Right now, the House is pursuing Impeachment, in response to the whistleblower talking about Trump trying to get Ukraine to dig up dirt on Biden. If this does not lead to actual impeachment, I think that democracy is dead in this country.
The continuing poison of the Trump Presidency. It has made me craven and exhausted.
The continued insanity of our president around climate issues, around immigration, around colluding with foreign powers against our own government, and around inciting hatred. His lack of kindness and good values frightens me for the future of our country and our own individual rights and freedoms.
The descent into authoritarian violent madness continues across the globe. Kashmir. Hong Kong. The PM expels moderates from the Tory party. A sitting president threatens civil war if he's tried for crimes he doesn't pretend not to have committed. Where can we go? What can we do? How can we challenge these shifting norms in a way that's effective and lasting, without resorting to violence? Apologies for answering the question with questions.
Trump trump trump. It's all about the disaster that is the President of the United States. Robin's job disappeared, I believe partly due to the tariffs Trump enacted on Chinese manufacturers. The company she was working for was precarious, and that extra stress pushed it over the border into its final death spiral.
The on-going growth of income disparities in the US and world. I am humbled and saddened by the gaps I see in my city and also when I go to Bolivia. I constantly struggle with feeling bad about what I earn - and I don't even earn the average for my city. When I see the poverty of people I pass on the street or people I serve at the hospital or people that I meet in Bolivia I feel pain for them. I wonder how they survive. I remember my years of barely being able to pay bills and being constantly afraid that my car would break down and worrying how I would get to work and how I would pay for repairs - and that was worry as a single person. I don't know how folks with health problems or dependent children manage. The amount of stress is staggering. It helps me to understand that a lot of people are in survival mode - they do the best they can just to make it one more day, to be able to pay for food and keep warm. It' exhausting being poor. It also reminds me that there are many kinds of poverty - spiritual, relational, environmental - it's not just financial - and a lot of "rich" people are very poor in other ways.
rise of anti-Semitism in general that manifested in the shooting at Tree of Life in my hometown I grew up going to preschool/daycare/playdates in that building
God. The world is a fucking trash fire. I can't even think of a specific. The Amazon burning. Greta Thunberg. Impeachment investigation announcements. I'm tired.
The Trump presidency continues to reveal much of what is wrong with the world, and it's a huge motivator to try to mobilize and address hate, inequity and pain.
Every mass shooting, and every anti-Semitic incident impacts me, but I think the most terrifying was the Christchurch NZ mass shooting of mosque attendees. Because the shooter livestreamed the event for a like-minded audience, I see that each of these is a tip of the iceberg of a terrible and covert global movement.
Two mass shootings on the same day. One at a mall where families were doing their school shopping, just days after I'd been doing exactly the same thing with my kids. Some of the victims were young children. It's getting scarier and scarier to send my kids to places where I won't be with them, but realistically, I wouldn't even be able to protect them if I was there when something happened. It's awful feeling so helpless against threats to your children.
I feel much the same as last year - totally numbed to global news. I am happy that the Democratic primaries are going ok and that we have multiple women and people of color as potential nominees. I'm cautiously optimistic that the current president might be impeached. But overall I'm very focused inward, and on my family and local events.
I applied to a position of leadership in my current organization, and was passed over because they were set on getting someone with experience as a manager. That would've been fine, if it hadn't been for the reason for that desire; our interim manager had been an unmitigated disaster, costing us one colleague, and contributing to significantly increased use of sick days. When we were in need of an interim manager, they simply picked someone with no management experience, from outside the section, meaning I never had the opportunity to say I wanted it. The message seems pretty clear to me; there is no real way for me to advance my career with my current employer. That is annoying, frustrating, and more than a little offensive.
Kashmir. I was in Ladakh with my friend. We saw the cranes at Tso Kar. We saw the impact of keeping ownership local. We saw the heavy presence of the Indian army. I noticed how smooth the roads were. Two weeks later article 270 was unilaterally revoked and the region has been on lock down ever since. Ladakh has different status now and I'm sure it's worst in the parts of the state we didn't see. My heart hurts though. Aches against dogmatic nationalism.
BREXIT WTF That is all.
I mean, the world is falling to shit. It is crazy out there. Apparently I start all my answers with "I mean" lol. Or at least this one. But the world is totally falling apart. It does make us question our desire to have kids. We're still going to, I think, but it's definitely not necessarily the correct or moral thing to do these days. I don't know what will happen with this Trump impeachment, it'll be interesting to look back at these answers next year and be reminded about how that was happening right now. I don't think he'll be taken out of office by the senate, and I do think he will be reelected 2020. Unfortunately. But there is a lot going on in the world right now, climate change (Greta thunberg), Trump, Brexit. All very exciting.
The rising tide of anti-Semitism and the shootings in Pittsburgh and Poway made me feel less safe to express myself as a Jew. I was even nervous going to synagogue for services yesterday, because I didn't know if there was enough security. I hope that in the year to come, the increased anti-Semitism, racism, and general hatred in the world will start to diminish.
I was especially impacted by the 18th anniversary of 9/11. A shared date because my son also turned 18 this year.
Don't know any. Lot of political news from USA has affected me in a way that thanks to these I have discovered lot of comedians and talk shows who make fun of these events. Otherwise it has been stressful year, but can not point out any THE ONE event.
last fall, ballot question 3 called on MA voters to support or repeal equal protections based on gender identity -- for the first time I was moved enough to canvass for a political cause. I felt like i needed to stand up for myself as an enby, and more importantly, stand up for young trans folks who are already at risk of harassment and discrimination in their schools, jobs, and maybe from their own families. if an affluent and liberal bastion like MA couldn't protect its trans citizens, then what hope do we have anywhere? the voting public overwhelmingly supported equal protections, and it was gratifying to have been a small part in defending trans rights.
The Brexit gamble... While I see consciousness grow and I feel many people are being moved and motivated by love and care, the Brexit gamble is an example for me that people still get away with lies, dishonesty and a very narrow worldview. The way this impacts me is that we can't assume everyone sees the world with the same eyes, we need to meet people where they are at and accept that events happen that feel like a backlash...
Becoming more aware that we are facing GLOBAL EXTINCTION! It SUCKS and feels unnatural to think about death so often - and we can't really wrap our heads around it. It has led me down some depressing, existential loops. Josh Radnor writes, "There have been few respites from apocalyptic fears throughout human history. It seems built into the whole deal of simply being here. And maybe it’s just our individual fear of death blossoming into some kind of collective nightmare." And this makes me feel a bit better.
Trump Trump Trump Trump Trump. Damn, I hope this impeachment happens. Dear future self...did it? Also, climate change. I've always been worried about it, but this year, we are feeling its effects first hand in significant and terrifying ways. Between the two issues above, I don't feel hopeful about the future. My immediate future? I'll be alright. But the big picture? I don't think the world is headed in the right direction at all.
Well... this is interesting. At this time next year we will hopefully be in the final months of this hell-on-earth mess of a presidency (or who knows maybe it will be over by this time next year?). Impeachment proceedings recently begun... lots of mixed feelings surrounding that of course... another interesting thing that is different... Elizabeth Warren is crusading for replacing private insurance with 100% government healthcare, which has me a bit conflicted. On the one hand I LOVE that idea more than anything! On the other... that situation might quite literally put me out of a job (I work for an IDFS). Which makes me wonder if I am being true to myself, and what more I can be doing to serve this world and leave it a better place... I love my job and have done amazing work, but question how aligned I am with my core values at times...
Can't remember when it started, was it this year or before? But the continuing separation of children from their mothers, putting them in cages is, among many other horrible things this current administration has and is doing to destroy our country, is far and away the most horrible. I can't even bear to think about it. It makes me ashamed to be an American. It is cruel and tortuous. It makes us less safe. It makes us less than.
Every Mass Shooting. Every life lost due to gun violence. The fact that this country stays impotent until the next one and then they stay impotent again. I am frustrated that this country is frustrated but unable to act.... they look toward a leader who talks but doesn't act and they seem satisfied. The best lack all intention while the worst are full of passionate intensity. We will pay dearly for this I fear.
Impeachment inquiry has begun. Hiya Tov.
Trump is a disaster. EPA, border walls, immigration, Ukraine, fracking, protected land--his decisions are forcing the US and the world into deep regression and destruction all for the sake of money and power. It's difficult to read about another thing he's done, just when I think he can't make another wrong decision. That, contrasted with a less-than-adequate democratic candidate emerging to run against him in the 2020 elections, has me discouraged and disheartened. And yet I am super hopeful that something will change (impeachment? a real leader in the Democratic party will emerge?) between now and then.
Brett Kavanaugh's appointment was heartbreaking. I remember the hearing, and leaving my class early and in tears knowing that they would be watching it and I wasn't strong enough to handle it. I felt like I couldn't be on social media without someone posting about him or their own experiences and being triggered. Especially with them being from Bethesda, knowing Georgetown Prep and Holton really drove this situation deeply and personally home. It is interesting to juxtapose how horribly I was impacted by the publicity of sexual assault cases in the beginning of 5779, compared with the end. Chanel Miller's book just got delivered to my apartment last week, and I know that I will feel strong enough to read it in 5780.
I have decided not to allow the events in the world to disrupt the bit of homeostasis that I have worked so very hard to achieve in my life. I help when and where I can, I have empathy, but my home and family are sacred.
I actually have taken to staying away from the news as much as I can except for reading an overview everyday. Jamal Kashoggi's murder was the end of my rope. So horrid. #metoo has become a sore spot, despite the fact that I am a victim too. It seemed like a good idea and now I am not so sure. Animal abuse, child abuse, gender inequality, racism, war. Damn politics. It all stresses me out. It does noting else except stress me out. I am so tired of everyone fighting and all the causes out there. You can't be male, or female or black or white or straight or gay or ethic or religious or anything because there is some big group of people in a cause that is telling you why you are wrong. I am just so over it. Literally, this stuff affects me in such a negative way that I gave up advocating for anything. I was so angry all the time when I was involved in any causes and it burned me out. Why can't people just be decent. We aren't all gonna be BFFs and the world will always have problems, but this is just too much. I want to go live off the grid and in the middle of nowhere and only come out to get supplies and go to work.....unless I work at home or figure out another way to make money. Seriously, this is how far I have taken it in my mind to just find some peace and to live a simple modest life. I have even quit caring what anyone thinks about my indifference as well. Its really sad. My own sanity is paying the price though.
The climate crisis has shaken me; I feel anxious every day and worry for my kid’s future—and for be world.
I feel so powerless about all of the challenges of our time, from environmental degradation to the killing of unarmed black men. I am glad to be finding democrats in my new community and hope I can contribute in some way locally.
My answer this year is the same as last year: One event that impacts my life is the actions of Trump as President and his administration, which is having short-term, and even worse, long-term effects on our country, all of which I consider to be bad. The immediate effect on me personally is just adding to my worries about the future for my children and grandchildren, our country and the world. I worry about the composition of the federal judiciary, the removal of environmental protections, and the failure to address long-term problems of our country. In addition, the continuation of unrelenting mass shootings in the US, including in particular the one at Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh, makes me worry for my children and grandchildren's safety.
American politics is in such a downward spiral. It's getting more divisive, more partisan and it's spilling into other areas of government and the US that used to be less partisan. The only thing I see changing it is a massive disaster.
The antisemitism that has reared its ugly head around the world has terrified me.
The shooting at the Pittsburgh temple was emotionally jarring for me. As someone who is part Ashkenazi, but wasn’t raised religious, I have not identified myself with the Jewish people for most of my life. In my adult efforts to formally learn how to be a practicing Jew, I have felt my personal identity and priorities shift. Notably, when the shooting happened, I was on vacation with my non-Jewish former partner. It became clear to me in that time that I needed a romantic partner who recognizes the impact that antisemitism has on me, as well as antiBlackness. I am a person with multiple marginalized identities, and I often find myself getting emotionally wrapped up in current events that pertain to me and my people. As a result, I regard this kind of awareness as vital, not just for romantic partners, but with friends too. The shooting in Pittsburgh impacted me similarly to the non-indictment of Darren Wilson in the murder of Mike Brown. I felt unsupported, small, and hurt. Ultimately, I resolved to cultivate a better system of support and community of friends for myself.
Of course I'd like to say Trump and how angry he makes me, but I'd rather say the global demonstrations and Greta in particular. Her and their courage and the movement to speak out has given me hope and let me know that there can be positive change for the future I want. Connecting to these action communities makes me feel more part of humanity.
Gun violence continues to be extremely prevalent, and unresolved. It is saddening that I wrote about this exact concern last year, and still no major solution has been adopted.
Unfortunately my answer from last year still holds true - Not just one event, but the growing/more outspoken right-wing racism, sexism, homophobia, anti-Semitism, anti-immigrant, anti-Muslim etc. sentiment that is so freely expressed. It has shaken me and made me want to take concrete steps to combat it. Additionally, increasing acts of gun violence have prompted me to take action in this area as well.
Nothing directly, thank goodness. I do see things in the world changing that will effect us all. Atlantic hurricanes seem to be getting larger and more powerful, it's just a matter of time that another hits a major city and chaos ensues like New Orleans and Hurricane Katrina. It's strange to think we can prevent climate change, but we can, humans have risen to worse challenges over the last 2 million years; we can fix this.
Where do I start? Gun violence. Polio returning. Trump finally being impeached or on the road to impeachment. Disgusting and abhorrent treatment of immigrants. The vilification of innocent humans. Atrocious violations of human rights in our own country. The list is endless. Selfishly, I only feel these issues in my own life and I do not experience them firsthand. It is a tough things to reconcile. How do I act? How do I work to make the world a better place when the problems themselves seem so overwhelming?
So, I read an article months ago about a woman from Guatemala who was seeking asylum in the US with her almost one-year old son--this was four plus years ago. She was detained and separated from her son, who went on to live with a foster family in America, who then proceeded to adopt him. His poor mother has been trying to get him back this whole time and a judge recently found in favor of the adoptive fucking 'parents.' I know there are egregious things happening daily, but this story has stayed with me and every time I think about it, I get so angry. In the article, the motherfuckers who adopted the child were quoted saying something like, 'we couldn't love him more if he was our biological son.' and rage, just fucking pure rage overtook me. He has an actual mother who wants him, who loves him, and risked her life for him. There are children all over this country and this world whose parents DON'T want them, who sit in orphanages or with foster families waiting for a place to call home and these disgusting fucking people are fighting and winning battles to keep children separated from their rightful families. All I can think about is my own kids, who I won't even entrust to babysitters, and how long would it take for them to forget about me? to start calling some stranger 'mama,' how would I continue living in a world where I couldn't be with them? Jesus.
Is it the breakdown of ethics and morality or just my becoming aware of the reality that there is little of that in the world. The behavior of Syria, Israel, Iran, North Korea, Ukraine, our President and our Senate, Hungary and others who have looked into the eye of evil and embraced it is disheartening even though I know life operates in cycles. I find it difficult to understand the desire for blood and worry about the future of people around the world, including the Jews.
The election in Israel. We are certainly living in interesting times. I truly believe that all the craziness is a harbinger of the coming of Moshiach.
The Pittsburgh Synagogue Shooting...as a follow up to Charlottesville and a precurser of Poway...and how it has changed real life. I have read more about current US antisemitism, I have become more aware of my surroundings, I have gotten used to armed guards at synagogue. I have adjusted to it, don't like it but used to it.
US federal government and politics leave me anxious and discouraged. Climate change discussions - those with substance, not the shrill voices at the edge on either side - leave me confused and discouraged. And the myriad other problems that demand attention leave me overwhelmed. Maybe it is info overload. Too many things impact all of us and leave me paralyzed. Next steps - figure out how to live fully, responsibly, joyfully in this imperfect world.
The synagogue shootings in cities near and far changed so much. As temple president, it was not what I had hoped to deal with. At first for us, it was about gathering our wits. Then, it was comforting those around us. Our temple had over 650 guests and more than 50 clergy from across our community visit on solidarity shabbat. Truly, peace can happen if we want it.
The Trump "presidency" has impacted the entire world. Personally, I feel much more afraid on a daily basis. I fear that I'm not doing enough to stop evil in the world. I despair what the world will look like for my grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Even for my children, who are young enough to still expect life to be rewarding.
Donald Trump has encouraged racism--who else would say there were fine people at a white nationalist rally where people were chanting "Jew will not replace us"? Yet there are Jewish people who will vote for him. This is unconscionable.
The situation with the border and immigrants/refugees has been horrifying to watch. It leaves you feeling helpless and despondent and guilty. It reminds me of the holocaust and how people just 'let it happen.' Sending some emails and making some phone calls doesn't do much at all. Sadly, I mentioned this in my response to the same question last year.
Continued horror of mass shootings with minimal governmental intervention or apparent concern.
Not one event, the same event over and over again. Mass murders using assault weapons. It disgusts me every time. I can't believe Americans can't see that there is absolutely no reason for any civilian to own, much less use, such a weapon. I'm disgusted with our leaders and I stopped reading and listening to the news for many months now. It was impacting my health. I have no answer to this horrible situation and there's nothing I can do to remedy it. I don't protest, I have no idea where to throw money to fight it. I just stick my head in the sand until another maniac starts shooting.
Basically anything that happened with trump. It effected the work negatively because he is awful. The whole climate change thing is big too. Lots of strikes as there should be. More teenage activism.
Everything going on in the world! Climate change, the shootings, immigration, anti-semitism, racism... the list goes on and on. I'm so sad about all the unkindness in the world, and even sadder that kids have to grow up living this as their world.
lol so many! One was the plane crash in Ethiopia where Cedric died. Even though i didn't know him, it really affected me. To see someone that full of life and such a selfless, amazing, hopeful, dedicated person's life end so stupidly, that was tough. there was no reason for that plane to be flying. people knew it was unsafe and that's what gets me. the injustice of it all. he had already affected so many people's lives positively and was going to do a lot more. it really solidified that we don't know how it's going to end and that we need to treasure the time we have together.
I am proud of the Never Again is Now movement that is trying to get Jews to rally and protest against the horrible treatment and incarceration of undocumented immigrants because that is the type of thing that should spur action.
Ironically, I think the methodical dismantling of national programs and protective regulations has shaken my faith in bureaucracy. I had always believed that no matter what the assault on democracy, our bureaucracy would grind on inexorably, protecting the structures of our society. Trump and friends, have dismantled so much so quickly, and run roughshod over so much that is central to our historic national values, I am stunned.
It's going to be Donald Trump till he's impeached and quietly led away blaming everyone else with Rudy Guiliani explaining too much and giving us even more evidence. Tweets to follow. I look forward to when we go back to operating like a democracy and upholding the constitution.
The detainment of immigrant children. It has disgusted me and horrified me. I have never felt more helpless, I do not know what to do. I can't imagine the fear the children have and the despair the parents feel. it is horrifying. I need to do more and I am upset at myself for not doing anything else, yet, I don't know what to do.
The climate strikes all over the world. I used to have horrible anxiety that the world was burning and nobody was paying attention. There were days when I felt like I was the only one who cared. People are paying attention now. People are marching. I feel hopeful again.
It's a bit crap considering all the death and destruction in the world but..... Greggs' vegan sausage roll!! Haven't tried it yet but I will. The whole vegan movement this year has been pretty incredible. I did Veganuary this year too; mainly for the animals but also to do more for the environment. So that was interesting... Vegan I am not, but I have seriously changed my ways and my diet. I've not eaten any meat this year and all the Extinction Rebellion protests, Greta Thunberg, etc. ... It all helps me when I'm craving a burger!!
The world is a mess and I can't pick one event that stands out as biggest impact on me. It seems like trump's presidency is one act of hatred after another. The anniversary of September 11 really hit me this year. It has been 18 years - the class of kids applying to college this year weren't alive for it. That was a day the world changed, and yet we didn't learn anything about tolerance or love, it seems.
Quite recently, India has gone after Kashmir against Pakistan. This has affected me because I live in India— and while I really think the Pakistanis are on the right side here, so many of my coworkers are indian, and harbor a long standing hatred of Pakistan. I get it, too, it’s similar to how the Americans hate the Taliban and ISIS. But that doesn’t justify the violence that America and India have taken to their enemies. I don’t know. It’s a complicated situation. I’ve kept my mouth shut a lot.
To be honest, I have been a bit removed from the news this year so nothing has particularly rocked me. Lots of little things, particularly shootings, have moved me and made me more weary of being in public spaces with lots of people. Working as an agent of trauma healing makes my self-care super important. For me, that looks a little like shielding myself from all the bad things that are happening in the world.
I honestly can't think of one. This year has been largely about pulling my energy back from things I can't control and also not giving my attention to the fear machine of the news and I'm proud of that and a happier person.
The student strike for climate action helped me to see how activism and action can extend to my children. It gave me hope as well. Greta's anger shined a light on my own guilt and lack of action, and helped spur me to be more involved in politics.
I would love to have some biting sociopolitical commentary about Brexit and the likes but really my opinions on the matter have only dulled. I suppose that counts as an impact? I've gone from impassioned cries ("however will I be able to go be an artsy academic on the streets of Paris now!?) from bitter resentment and, increasingly, plain apathy. This web of political discourse and anger envelopes our world and yet I can't help but think that nothing will change. Maybe this means real revolution, a crucial and liberating change to our society but I'm not holding my breath..
All of the mass shootings have been terrible. You don't feel safe anywhere. Brings you back to the old saying, you just have to enjoy and be thankful for every day.
The continuous ominous news about our destruction of the world we live on and the climate that supports us. I feel both powerless before these changes, and desperate to find the right responses and actions to take. How can we save the earth before it's too late?
O desastre que é a eleição do Bozonazi como presidente do Brasil. Precisamos fingir que não é verdade para continuar a ter forças para viver. Foi a vitória do demônio!!!
The shooting in Pittsburgh is a sort of Everest (or certainly one of them along with Charleston and El Paso) in the climate in this country caused by the Trump administration and its associated lackeys, toadies, and sycophants. Yes, I'm sure that many of them were horrified by what happened, but you can't pick and choose what is acceptable. Either you stand up and reject the whole mantra or you willingly acquiesce. And there are so many that are happy with these results and look forward to marching in the continued crusade.
The sale of my beloved house. I cried so much... holding on, not wanting to let go. Knowing that holding onto it hurt me more than letting go. And now what... no place to call my own. This sucks and makes me so sad. Especially since dad renovated everything. And now it's gone.
Being engaged in politics and staying actively on top of what is happening in the world has been both eye opening and incredibly depressing. I hope that motherfucker gets impeached.
I think something that was very hard to watch and to fully understand in terms of consequences for our present and future, were the recent forest fires in the Amazon. I know there have been many fires in the region, but this time it was more visible. However, I felt pretty powerless and frustrated to do anything about it. It made me think more about the importance of organizing, and that when we resist authoritarianism and oppressive power, we have better chances at defending the land and the water.
Becoming a mom. Nothing in my life is the same. Taking care of the sweetest and cutest. But also in pain as the doctor made some mistakes during labour. Loving my cute happy girl. Being her mom.
No single event per se, but just the growing awareness of mental health issues in general have really helped me to be open about my own mental health struggles and seek treatment. I know I have suffered from depression since adolescence but am now finally in regular therapy and on medication.
The world is on fire right now, literally and figuratively. The Amazon is burning. Trump is wreaking havoc on humanity. Hatred is rampant. Civility seems to be dead. This year, the gun violence epidemic hit close to home for me three times. A shooting in a Pittsburgh synagogue left 9 Jews dead on a Shabbat morning. I was leading a service when we got the news. I spent the Kiddush lunch that followed processing with my congregation. It hit hard. It could have been us. A few days later, we held a healing service and town hall that was one of the most beautiful things I’ve ever been a part of. At the end of it, I asked those who were there to show support and were not from our own community to stand. Of the 500 people in the room, more than half rose. It was a little glimpse of humanity from amidst the tragedy and it was the reminder we needed that there is still so much good in the world. If only it didn’t take a tragedy to be able to see it. Then, we had a horrific mass shooting at a federal building in Virginia Beach. One of my congregants was inside. He made it out, but 11 of his colleagues did not. I ended up planning the official City of Virginia Beach solidarity event a week later. Once again, I found myself in the position of being tasked with comforting the community in the midst of unspeakable tragedy. I went through the motions, but I can still feel the anger in my chest that no amount of prayer and no consoling words can quell. This was senseless and preventable, and yet, still, our leaders do nothing. During the event, as the photo montage of those who died ended, a family member wailed. The depth of her pain was so palpable and searing that I cry now, just thinking about it. The Virginia Beach city council sat on that stage and heard that wail, and yet, they voted to do nothing. Focus on mental health. Explore the issue. Nothing. In July, after I spent time in a shelter for families with children who had just been released from ICE detention in El Paso, I felt compelled to do something more for the babies I held. I called the shelter and asked what they needed. They requested Walmart gift cards so these families could buy some essential items. My friend and I bought $2000 worth in $50 increments and delivered them to the shelter, asking them to tell those who received them that we are glad they are here. Four days later, a white supremacist gunman entered the Walmart that was a four minute drive from the shelter and killed 22 people. I will never know if someone might have been there in the midst of the carnage because they received one of my gift cards. And still, we do nothing. My heart is in pieces over the baseless hatred that has permeated our culture and the cowardice of those we have tasked to lead us. What will it take? I am genuinely terrified to learn the answer.
Nothing has impacted me in this world. At least not that I am aware of. Perhaps that's a problem that the woes of this world are not impacting me as they should for me to do something about it.
The synagogue shootings in Pittsburgh and near San Diego California (forgot the city. Poway?) It proved to me what I’ve always suspected that Jews should be armed and ready for attacks against us. If history is any indication, there will be more. “Never again” must mean next time we shoot back.
I really do not know where we are going as a country. How anyone can think of anything beyond impeachment is sort of beyond me. I am struggling to not become cynical and despondent and to keep my light of hope alive.
Donald Trump's about to be impeached in the House so that's cool because that guy is the worst. Hopefully enough Republican Senators get on board to remove him from office so this country can move on from the disastrous decision we made 11/8/16.
The shootings at the Tree of Life Synagogue and at Chabad Poway were incredibly impactful. I'm in the process of my conversion to Judaism, and each one actually made me more determined than ever to stand tall in the face of hate and continue with my conversion. It's made me want to address ways that anti-Semitism is still affecting the world and work to make a difference.
The death of David Cloud Berman. I've never been so affected by the death of someone I didn't really know. I read a lot of wonderful things about him and for some reason I've felt it move me more towards exploring my own Jewishness.
This is tricky. There's been so much that *should* have impacted me - Brexit, volatile politics, extinction rebellion / climate protests etc.... but I increasingly feel just very passive about it all. Like we're all screwed, so why get stressed / exercised about it. I don't think that's good, it's depressing and I would like to change it - find a way of getting involved in a cause I believe in and then making a difference, however small.
The publicizing of ICE immigration camps led me to remember the Nazi sanctioned displaced persons camp in Sibera, and later Russia and Austria, my Zayde survived in, and others who were not so lucky, 87 years ago and how that same Zayde voted for the US president that made those ICE camps happen because he was convinced that president would be an unwavering supporter of Israel. it's taught me that conflicted feelings are a constant in this world
This year it's all about climate change and global warming! Suffered through a blisteringly hot and humid summer, waited out numerous hurricane watches and warnings and read in the news each day how badly our planet is suffering.
The climate strikes, knowing that more and more people have taken action against climate change, and are actually taking notice. We didn't march in the strikes ourselves but were aware and watching, and knowing that doing our part is our role here now, letting the kids know, making big and small changes. We'll continue with our efforts, both in our own home and at school and in the wider community, ever hopeful, though increasingly aware that this is not going to be easy.
In reflecting during Elul I have been thinking a lot about how I relate to the world. What I am seeing what I am willfully ignoring. There has been so much this year that it is overwhelming. From the mass shootings, to the immigration crises, to having a horrible human running this country, I tend to look away because it hurts too much to look closely. But what I have decided is that I need to go in a little more. I need to do a little more repairing the world. And in thinking about this, I realized the issue that I am most concerned about, that I feel despair about is climate change. The rising oceans, the natural disasters, the campaigns to get individuals to use steel straws as if that will do anything, it all makes me furious. I am so inspired by the Sunrise Movement kids. Greta Thunberg is speaking to my soul and I hear her and I want to act and I want these oceans that I love to swim in, the reefs that give me awe and joy, the glaciers that make me feel small, I want it all to survive. I want to figure out how to do my part to be in harmony with this natural world rather than against it. It feels like a spiritual mission to care for the land, to care for the thing that nurtures us. I am not sure yet how I will get involved on a larger scale. Our first step this year was to start composting in the back yard and it has significantly reduced our trash waste at home. That small step is a good one, but I want to do more. I am feeling the pressure of a fast approaching and scary future and I want to do my part.
I would say the Pittsburgh shooting. We can't bury our heads in the sand about antisemitism anymore or white nationalism.
The continued shifts in world political structures toward dystopia have ground me down a bit. And it has emboldened hate groups and white supremacists to be louder with their rhetoric, and more blatant with their attacks. Synagogues have been targeted. Immigration has been curtailed to a point of near non-existence and children are being caged without proper food, clothing, shelter and care. And I find myself at once outraged and fatigued. As a popular cartoon notes, I'm stuck in a dynamic between a desire to stay informed and a desire to stay sane.
Since this "year" is defined as the year on the Hebrew calendar, I have to say that the event in the world that impacted me most happened in the little place where I grew up, Squirrel Hill, when a monster strolled into a house of worship, intent to kill as many Jews as possible. I stood on the bimah at that synagogue as a reader, as a bridesmaid, and sat in its congregation for numerous joyous events. The massacre at Tree of Life happened just three weeks after my mother died in a tragic accident, and the day before my 54th birthday. October has long been my favorite month because it was my birthday month, and in 1998 became the month I welcomed the love of my life, my wonderful daughter, into the world. First I lost my mother and then, a few weeks later, I sat, practically paralyzed with terror in a chair in my home watching as the local news broadcast live from the scene, trying to give some sense of what was happening there while it was going on, while frantically checking social media for news of friends who lived near the scene and/or worshiped at the temple. Weeks later, I visited the memorial set up at the temple with a young cousin I didn't even know I had until my mother died. We established a bond and I ended up with someone new to love in my life. It was all surreal then and still doesn't feel quite real. I still forget I am a motherless child, even as a middle-aged adult who is the mother to someone else. I forget Tree of Life happened until something reminds me. Shortly after all the massacre, I joined a project called Jewish Hearts for Pittsburgh and I spent a Sunday going around the city decorating sites with stars of David sent from people all over the world. I often drive by a place where I hid one in a tree, and it's still there. It's weathered and it's faded but it's still there. And it's funny but even though the events of last October have changed me, I, too, am still here, and I have to remind myself every once in a while that while it's OK and normal to feel sad, I was put on this planet to experience love and joy. I'm trying.
Ilmastonmuutos. Nyt kaikki alkaa heräämään siihen. On ilmastolakkoja koululaisille, vihreät voitti vaalit ja asia on pinnalla koko ajan. Ekaa kertaa ikinä olen tuntenu syyllisyyttä lentämisestä tämän vuoden aikana ja pohtinu sitä, mitä tapahtuu, kun ei voidakaan enää lentää mohinkään.
I think the world is slowly waking up to the climate crisis we are facing, largely because of Greta Thunberg. I am really happy that the subject is becoming much more mainstream throughout multiple generations, and I hope this will shed light on the importance of public health and environmental health. This past year, though, there have been so many mass shootings, including in Jewish places of worship and Muslim places of worship. The intolerance of minority faiths by white supremacists is so disturbing. There seems to be an increase in how polarized people are, and I wonder when we will reach a closer point of equilibrium.
The shooting at the synagogue in Pittsburgh. It was horrifying and so sad. I thought that there were synagogue shootings before that.
I have seen the world devolve into populism and right-wing nationalism, and it has absolutely terrified me for the future. If something does not substantially change, I'm not sure what the future will hold...
Lately I've been thinking a lot about Greta Thunberg, the 16-year-old Swedish activist, and her impact on the conversation around Climate Change and Global Warming. She's inspired me to be more conscious about how I utilize the resources provided to me and the impact they have on our planet/home/life source. While I still have a really nasty "single use plastic bottle" habit, I'd like to move away from that..
All of the shootings, especially the garlic festival in Gilroy. It seems like there is no where safe anymore. If we can't have something as innocent as a garlic festival without being worried I just don't know what we're doing as a society. It is my utmost hope that there will be SOME action on this over the next year.
Not to be lame, but I'd say the death of Luke Perry. Really, I could talk about politics or world violence or major storms. I don't watch news, I avoid much of the political world. I prefer to bury my head in the sand. I spent too many years giving news/politics/weather my attention and emotion. For my own sanity, I just don't any more. Luke Perry dying from a stroke - at the same age as I am - totally impacted me. I have struggled with HBP for a couple of years, but convinced myself that I could control it through exercise and diet. And, on some days I was successful in that endeavor. It wasn't until Luke Perry passed away that I took this condition seriously, listened to my doctor and accepted the fact that I need medication to control it.
The fights in Nigeria and Hong Kong for a democratic government made me sad when I realized people still have to fight for their freedom in the modern world.
The election of president Bolsonaro. He is ruining the country and people's lives and futures so fast. I don't know if I'll graduate because I don't know if my university will even exist in a couple of years. I have been unemployd for some time and the economy just gets worse and worse. I will never retire. I just can't see how there will be anything good going ahead.
The word was so much with me this year. Going to Ecuador for half of August made the world seem bigger & at the same time less fraught, more manageable. I am part of the world in a way that I hadn't always felt.
Where even to start. I guess I will say the rising anti-immigrant policies of this administration, because it led to me being arrested for the first time. I always knew I had a point at which I would be willing to do it. I found my point. And I am energized -- it actually was a really positive experience and had a spiritual aspect I was not expecting. And also, I am disheartened. Because if everyone would be willing to put their bodies on the line this would stop, but we're not. So what good did it really do? We have concentration camps in the United States and we aren't doing anything about it. What will it take?
The answer remains the same as the previous two years, and is even more dire now. Here is what I wrote, now all completey true: The election of that charlatan Donald Trump to the US Presidency is the worst thing ever in US history, a turn to the fascist right, and may be one of the worst events in world history if he indeed leads us to war with NK, Iran, Syria, Russia, Pakistan, or any where else he simply chooses. His position and actions on everything environmental, most particlarly climate change, is endangering all of mankind and even his own properties and businesses, SAD FOOL. He is the most ignorant, dangerously arrogant, professionally incompetent, and mentally unfit person to have this office, ever. He is an embarrassment to US, leading US down a perilous path to the worst possible outcomes on everything he touches or tweets, and has revealed the worst in America. He is a traitor. I hope and indeed pray he will be the ruin of the Republican Party, and that he and his family will see personal, professional, political, and complete financial ruin. Any respect for the Republican Party, which I used to have, is completely gone. They are traitors to defend and promote this man and his aims, supporters, and ilk. My now hate for Trump and the Republican Party has truly made my life a misery these last three years. It is the most politically depressing time of my life, and with all my other sadness made this one of the most despondent years of my life.
Brexit. Mostly because it's made me realise how different people who I thought were like me think. My Dad for example, he is my Dad and I love him to bits but jesus his views and mine are nothing alike. I grew up in the 80s,was told to accept everyone and thay we are all the same inside and out no matter your gender, religion, sexuality or race (and i wholeheartedly agree with this) but lots of people seem to be really threatened by just acknowledging that anything other than straight white male is an abomination. It breaks my heart and brain thay people can be so callous.
The continuing saga with President Trump in the US and his followers has me thinking more and more about my 'role' in the world. Barbara Kellerman, in her book 'Followership' postulates 4 types of followers: Diehards, Activists, Participants, and Bystanders. And she examines Bystanders in detail in the context of the Nazi Party's growth and power in Germany during the 1920's but especially the 1930's. I have pretty much always just been a bystander. But, this is the worst type of follower in situations when things are being done where people are being hurt. So, I have to seek the courage I need to become at least a Participant against what is going on in this country. I may even need to escalate to being an Activist if things get worse. Evil seems to be brewing, and I can no longer rely on my usual litany of excuses to stand by and do nothing. For another thing Barbara Kellerman say rings in my ears: "Bad leaders, I now understand, cannot possibly do what they do without bad followers. They depend on them absolutely."
The Tree of Life Synagogue shooting. It showed me Jewish people are still targeted because of their religion, which I previously thought didn't happen anymore.
The continued separation of families at the border and denial of safe space for refugees has had a big impact on me politically and personally. Witnessing the trauma of those separations helps to put perspective on my own traumas. I know the tenderness that I walk through the world due to my own experiences of trauma and how central the identity of motherhood is for me. I think of those kids but also the helplessness and devastation of their parents.
OOF it just keeps getting worse. The Administration’s efforts to put migrant children and families in concentration camps, as well as the resulting protests (particularly from organizations like “Never Again is Now”) has affected me deeply. As I grapple with the amount of times our country has threatened and imprisoned “Others,” those perceived as not belonging, and the amount of rhetoric that hits fairly high on the scale of steps toward genocide, or at least toward authoritarianism, I really struggle not to get emotional about the normalization of this behavior. Particularly when I consider the articles about whether children in these facilities should have access to recreation and education, and then even access to soap and towels was debated. I think about the enduring trauma we are causing, and how we should not be surprised when more violence might be engendered as a result. I do not like to say that damage is irreparable but in this case it really seems to be so.
American politics are making it 'acceptable' to publicly express hate for various races, women (in general) and LGBTQ+ groups which has then exploded further. Rules are being put in place to prevent women from basic needs (as it pertains to sexual health), various world leaders are being exposed for past racism and there is just a disgusting amount of hatred towards anyone who is not heterosexual (even in my own backyard). Living in Canada, it doesn't directly impact me - but I am bearing witness to how it trickles down to everything else. It's terrifying to think that my little nieces are growing up in such an exclusive world that perpetuates such hate towards others.
The ramp-up of incarcerated children at the border has been powerful and dearly upsetting to watch.
Although I would not say that I have been hugely impacted or shaken by the recent uptick in mass shooting events, I would say they have definitely increased my awareness of my surroundings. I have recently caught myself scanning crowds, watching for suspicious activity, and loosely planning exit routes when I am at public events. It's sad. Especially here is safe, placid, home-sweet-home Idaho.
My impulse response is all the mass shootings. But that isn't true. I'm resigned to that now. I can't think of anything that happened that rises to being memorable enough, other good or bad. The world continues to progress to craziness.
I read a story of a border control agent running down and killing Mexican immigrants in the desert in an F150. I can’t help but think of those poor men and women who had families and dreams that we’ll never know about. I’m so deeply saddened and enraged that our country has reached this point of hate and ignorance. It seems the world is spiraling into madness and the poorest among us are suffering. My heart also hurts for the kids that were taken away at the border. They are innocent and will now live a life full of trauma and pain. Not to mention hundreds of them were “lost” and are now likely being trafficked around the world. How are we OK with this? What can be done?
The current administration in Washington continues to affect me more than anything else this year. Crime after crime, injustice after injustice and they seem to get away with their reign of evil with nary a consequence. It is disturbing to me to say the least. It affects so many other areas of our life right now.
In the world? Donald Trump. Every day of the year. He is a walking traumatizer.
Wow. I have shut out the world so much since the Trump election. I am ashamed to say it, given the truly momentous things that have happened in the world this year, that the event that impacted me the most was the Kavanaugh hearing. The revelations around his nomination brought back the casual and unquestioned sexism of my youth. Nothing like what Christine Blasey Ford endured ever happened to me, but it brought back being groped by a particular football player whenever he found me alone in the stairwell, the high school English teacher who breezily announced women can't understand great literature because we've never been to war, my own father writing a recommendation for a friend applying to his alma mater and saying she would be an "adornment" at any college. I remembered telling a dear friend she had been raped after she described the nonconsensual sex that had occurred on a date in high school. I also remember how brave and feminist I felt by naming it, and that it never occurred to either of us to report it to anyone. I had really forgotten all that until Brett Kavanaugh was nominated and then confirmed for the court. The hearings made me physically and mentally sick -- watching his rage, bluster and entitlement caused me to drink until I passed out. And yet, as much as I believe Christine Blasey Ford, part of what sickens me is the mob mentality of both left and right today. I believe Brett Kavanaugh abused Christine Blasey Ford and Diane Ramirez -- I certainly believe there is credible evidence he did so. And yet it also appears that as an fully formed adult he has not abused women. There are no accusations of him engaging in this kind of behavior after marriage. Indeed, it appears he promoted women and treated them well at work. I don't think we can fully weigh the accusations without also weighing his apparent change/growth. It sickens me that we live in a world in which we cannot seem to entertain both sides of the coin at once. He sickens me for having been so exaggerated and victim-blaming in his own defense, for not used that platform humanely. I find it all immensely sad -- there is so little honesty, compassion and forgiveness in the world. So few people own up to their own evil capacity and mistakes. So few people are willing to forgive the past mistakes of others, particularly those on the opposite end of the political spectrum.
Uhhh how about just the garbage fire that our country is? Our joke of a racist/sexist/bigoted president taking us not just steps but leaps back in progress that has been made in previous countries. Not to mention the almost 400 mass shootings, and yet no gun regulations. I often feel sick to my stomach with what is going on. I just hope this is the last gasp for the ideologies that have been emboldened. It's made me way more politically inclined than I ever have been. It's made me want to be more educated and think about how I can support movements that are fighting the hate and corruption.
News and people in my life are increasingly partisan and feed off each other to ”dig in” to their positions and refute the other’s. I am starting to feel that we are at a point of no return in that regard. The two-party, gerrymandered, electoral college aspects of our election system is no longer helpful or ethical. Money elects, money decides the rules, and money has no moral compass. Listening to understand is a lost art. Talking to be heard is highly overrated. I cannot feel optimism for our future.
The continued negative actions including violence of progressives, leftists, democrats, socialists, communists, antifa, anti-Zionist, anti-Semitic groups against Israel and America and her duly elected leaders (Trump). Its depressing and frustrating. It adds to general distaste and distrust of other people in bigger world and smaller world at personal level. It impacts work relationships, personal friendship relationships, neighbor relationships and the lessening desire to forge new ones or retain old ones. (same as last year)
Brexit has impacted my family. We're stocking up on household essentials because who knows what will happen when the event arrives.
Much of what goes on in the outside world has little impact on my daily life, but the attack on the synagogues in the US in the last year has directly affected everyone who is Jewish in the US. Our synagogue installed safer doors, we think about what we would do in case of an attack, and we had a police presence in our parking lot for the holidays. I already work in a school that has a buzz-in system for safety and have to do lock down drills with elementary students. I wish I could live in a world that could presume safety in schools and places of worship.
The death of Alec Holowka and the whole culture surrounding it. Indies appearing woke but not actually having empathy for those who have the "wrong" kind of issues.
No big difference from previous years. Scientists discover multiple ways of defeating illnesses and bettering our lives. Musicians work their guts away doing marvelous performances.But the news give them tiny space, while dedicating to corrption, drugs and war.
OMG the talk given by Greta Thunberg at the UN on Climate Change and the current generation's lack of response and accountability! She is right. We messed things up and we just sit here talking about it and not taking any action. It makes me really frustrated and scared for future generations. Will there be an earth for them to inhabit? What will happen? What can I do myself before I leave this earth????
The continuing uncertainty over Brexit. I've been living under it for two years now, along with everyone else in the UK, but this year I had enough of putting my life on hold and tried to build some certainty by deciding what I want my life to look like and trying to buy a house. I still feel like if everything goes to crap I might want to leave the country or at least move to Scotland, but realistically, am I going to do either of those things with ageing parents and my sister here with me? I guess I'm stuck in this country for the long haul, even though it makes me embarrassed and ashamed. There are many things I love about it, despite all those negative feelings, the landscape, the nature, many of the people, my city. It's hard to hold on to that, but I'm trying.
Traffic Well I drive to and from work five days a week. Work is a" must do" otherwise I might not commit 8+ hrs to it DAILY. It is taking longer and longer to get to and from work. My explanation to this is that there are more cars on the road. Now, riding a motorcycle to work cut my daily commute to an hour total and it was fun.
Hurricane Harvey hit Texas last year. I felt very afraid and fearful and it made me realize how fragile everything in life was I also happen to get a dog out of the situation we got Moto are beautiful rescue springer spaniel who I couldn’t love more so out of something really painful come something really beautiful
I find that I am particularly affected by the state of our democracy. It’s not just one specific event, but the whole lawlessness of the current administration and the people who surround the President. I’m am deeply concerned about how our children are interpreting the current events. It will take a long time to overcome the things that are going on.
The election of Salvini made me lose hope a little. It's easy to look at other fascists, like Trump, and other authoritarians like Johnson, and think that people are just deeply, deeply credulous to elect such people. But Salvini was open from the beginning on what he is. He was elected because the majority of Italians wanted a fascist government. Fortunately, he's gone now.
Sadly, my answer is identical to the last TWO years: the continuing fallout from the 2016 election in the US. We have infected the globe, giving legitimacy to autocratic governments elsewhere and feeding the darkest natures of so many people. We are mired in scandal, lies and vitriol that undermines trust in almost every institution, and ignoring the huge challenges of global warming, technology’s effect on our lives and livelihoods, a win-win solution for immigration, the growing disparity in wealth and a crumbling infrastructure. On and on, with no will to elect leaders to take us forward. What is the matter with us? I do remind myself of Harari’s book Sapiens in which he describes the long arc of humankind that brings us almost inevitably to this place. I continue to take heart in the resistance of those flying with our better angels and feel ever-bolder myself about speaking out. Forward is where hope lies. Forward is our only option.
The work of Never Again Action has lifted me up - that people are actually shutting down ICE and making a tangible difference towards dismantling the bullshit colonial criminalization of human movement is very heartening. Sometimes I feel that as a people we have so profoundly lost our way that there is no hope for us, but things like this restore my faith that we can do some good in this world.
Brexit. Can’t get away from it. It has further lowered my opinion of politicians of all parties, and it wasn’t a very high bar to start with.
The concentration camps at the Mexican border are terrifying for me. Not only because I see these people suffering and am not sure what I can do about it, but also because it seems like history is repeating itself. We have an authoritarian leader who cavorts with dictators and is making a minority group into an “other” and putting them in camps. It’s really frightening. Is this the start of WWIII? Another genocide/Holocaust? And what do we do? When learning about the Holocaust in school, I always thought “If I were there, I would have seen the signs- I would have left Europe!” But now I don’t know. Maybe these are signs and they are being ignored.
Boris Johnson becoming prime minister. Made me realise just how bad things can get. Pretty much the king of buffoons, or if you include Trump, the clown prince of buffoons.
I would say literally everything that happens with Trump as president. It just makes me feel angry, and beyond that unsafe -- I don't know when I'm going to be the victim of his steady chipping away at human rights. I already feel like the world is a sexist place that does not work in my favor.
The ongoing saga of the US president with his mismanagement of the US economy, foreign policy, immigration and reaction to the mass murders in his country has played havoc with the decisions my husband has made with stock purchases/sales this past year. There was no stability and therefore no real growth. Of course this has meant that I have been anxious and concerned this past year as well making for a lot of sleepless nights.
Each mass shooting, especially El Paso, Hollister, Ohio has impacted me. Mostly because I’m numb, aloof and feel like I shouldn’t be. My own battle with spiritual, and personal identity confusion and struggle with finding my place feels big and to feel overwhelmed by that (and just exhausted by world reporting of events) and not have the space in me for service or really opening myself to feel what bitterness and rage and grief and motivation lies toward these situations and my own ability to really look into these more then receive the news when I come across it has made me very conflicted inside and feeling as if I’m a bad person or a broken person who cannot feel or has no heart but really I’m just the opposite my heart is heavy with feeling and brokenness and I just need to heal and I’m trying my best through allowing time to heal, doing what I know to do to heal, and therapy and connections and nature and meditation and spirituality in whatever way it shows up in my life
The Mueller Report, passing of Heartbeat Bills, and Trump's "National Emergency." Upsetting, and I'm not sure what I can do, I feel lost. But it is mobilizing me to think in the long term, and to start to be systematic about how I consume news, and how I take action.
In early 2019 we had the primaries and a large number of democrats, as well as a large number of women, were elected into office. They are all trying to change the damage that has been done by their predecessors and I am hopeful for the future. Green deals, healthcare, women's rights are all on the table and I am hoping that some good will be done in the world.
The democracy protests in Hong Kong. Having grown up there and with my parents still living there, this literally strikes close to home. I have so much admiration for the protestors. And yet I have little to no hope that it will do anything to change the situation. The clock is running out as Hong Kong approaches the agreed date by which they will fully assimilate into China. There's not a specific event but moreso the numerous environmental events (the huge fire in the Amazon) and demonstrations that have really prompted me to think with renewed focus on what is happening to our planet, what we can do about it, and what I specifically can do.
The Tree of Life shooting. I have become so numb to so many horrible things happening every day, but the closeness of that event (not geographically/physically, but emotionally) really stunned me out of that numbness. I remember going to a Friday night service after it happened (I don't go to synagogue regularly AT ALL), and just crying almost throughout the whole thing. And all in all, there have been so many people who have experienced so much this year that it's not entirely clear to me that it was that particular event that SHOULD have stood out. In a sense what stood out the most was the fact that I wasn't just numb.
The racist, fear-mongering, white-privileged, unprofessional, hateful, uncouth actions from the President of the United States continues to affect me on two fronts. First, the idea of that kind of person leading our country, given the importance of our country’s presence in the world is awful for literally everyone. Second, the people who are suffering because of his beliefs and actions divides the people of our country and leads to awful experiences.
This year, Arizona's courts took on a case to consider whether religious freedom or queer civil rights came first. They ruled for religious freedom. Canada recently ruled the opposite. This just makes me feel confused, because I feel more queer in the U.S.
I don't know- my brain has shut down on all the world events. The link between climate change and the meat industry pushed me to cut down on that.
Because of the intense heat this summer that has lasted through September and is continuing into October, I have not been able to leave the house unless it is very early in the day without risking heatstroke.
Trees. Trees. Trees! This quote about trees... "We have heard for years that planting trees can help save the world from global warming. That mantra was mostly a statement of faith, however. Now the data finally exist to show that if the right species of trees are planted in the right soil types across the planet, the emerging forests could capture 205 gigatons of carbon dioxide in the next 40 to 100 years. That's two thirds of all the CO2 humans have generated since the industrial revolution. "Forest restoration is by far our most powerful planetary solution today," says Tom Crowther, a professor of global ecosystem ecology at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich, and an author of a study published Thursday in Science that generated the eye-opening number."
Tree of Life or Kavanaugh? They happened one right after the other and the result was trauma for me, my community, and my patients. It was overwhelming and frightening and I don't think everyone involved has recovered. I have never felt unsafe in my country before and to feel that way - to feel a sense of not being sure I belonged or wanted to belong was like an earthquake.
When I was in Lyon, France, this past May, there was a small terrorist attack, similar to the one in Boston in 2013. When I mentioned it to a friend at the Y I go to, her response was something like "compared to the mass shootings that occur regularly in the U.S., that's nothing". So it is the combined mass shootings this year, too many for me to recall and list here, are the "event" that has affected me this year. It's so frightening, to think that some innocent foray to some gathering, or even going shopping at a Wal-Mart, could lead to one's death, or horrible injury. There seems to be no end to this phenomenon, and no solution, and Congress doesn't seem to be moved to even try to limit access to guns, which might be a start. But, there's another event in the world that may have a huge impact later on -- Bernie Sanders had chest "discomfort" and then heart surgery, to have stents put in to correct a blockage. I am hoping he's able to participate in the next debate.
I have found myself very angry and frustrated by the current Presidential administration. I was a Political Science student in school, and studied the Constitution. It is horrible to see a man elected President who has no understanding of the values represented in the Constitution, and on which this country was founded. I have never seen this nation so divided, and I find myself feeling especially anxious about the future. There is no single event I can point to; it is the accumulation of assaults on the environment, immigrants, women's' rights , civil liberties and education.
Pretty much the same as last year. My personal life is fortunately insulated from the horrors of the Trump-McConnell disaster. However, I'm very much emotionally affected by what's happening to the country. I've channeled this into my donations to causes I care about and volunteering at ACLU and Planned Parenthood.
All of the violence in the world (particularly the mass shootings in August) have really affected my OCD. These days, I get anxious even going on the Trax because I'm afraid something will happen. I'm trying to be brave but it's really, really hard.
The shootings in Pittsburgh and Poway have shattered my sense of security as a 5th generation American Jew. The power of the internet to spread hate and incite people to violence especially on Shabbat morning during prayer is very frightening. I now attend synagogue services with much more trepidation and fear. I am seriously contemplating the future of my family in this country.
The continued number of mass shootings. This crushes my heart that people are being killed for no reason as they try to live their life.
In my small world - losing my house in July and realizing that since my relationship finished, I'd been living in a new place every +-4 months. This made me realize that Lisbin isn't a place for me anymore, that I don't feel I belong to anywhere if every 4 months I have to leave. That was the moment that made me realize that I didn't want to live here in the long run. On a bigger scale- climatic changes. I'm becoming more conscious about my actions, even if I've already been leading a lifestyle which diminishes consumption.
Trump is STILL in office. His leadership has made this country a mockery among the nations. And the overall American climate is the worst its ever been with racism at the forefront with no remorse, but a sickening acceptance as being OK. As a minority woman with a young son also a minority this is very deplorable, and concerns me greatly about the future.
I'm 36 years old and nothing seems surprising anymore. Not even horror movies.
I can’t think about an answer to this question because the use of “impact” as a verb is so distracting.
falling in love! after at least 15 years of single-ness, after falling in love with Joshua and mourning his death, after trying to push myself into Daniel's world and not finding traction (just flawed attraction) I am in LOVE! I feel so deserving of this love that is flowing in both directions, and it is so incredible to be bathed in love!
The continuation of Trump in the Oval Office is something that I work hard to not effect me negatively every single day. His presence makes a mockery of an institution that I respect. His ignorance of law and the constitution, his willingness to cheat and pervert them, and his daily lies turn my stomach quite literally. I have stayed involved in organizations that seek to hold his feet to the fire and to replace him. And I have to consciously calm myself when I hear the next awful things he and his minions have done.
I am greatly saddened and outraged by the continued/increasing gun violence and the unwillingness of our government to do anything about it. The Thousand Oaks shooting took place only a mile from where I used to live, which felt very personal.
The Israeli elections. The burning of the Amazon. XR movement coming alive. Feeling arising me the call to action and change. Where is my part in this? Seeing it on a micro level from my consumer choices, to a macro level, starting visioning and getting involved in actions for change.
Children getting separated from their families at the border. Children dying in US custody. It could have been me. I am first generation American. My parents immigrated here and thank god, had me here. It could have been me and I should be doing more but how? This is not normal. I would like to have done more by this time next year.
The death of my brother. Even as I write this tears spring to my eyes. We sheltered each other throughout our lives; we encouraged each other to take risks and grow; we were the calm in the storm of a tumultuous childhood. Without him I feel as if the solid ground beneath me has been pulled away. Yet, he was struggling so. Cancer had taken his career, his physical health and his memory.
Ugh. That's easy. It's Trump. Fucking Trump. I knew it would be bad when he was elected, but I didn't realize how far-reaching his poison would be. The fragility of our democracy has been exposed, and it's frightening. The level of corruption of our government has risen 10 fold. New precedent is being set every day, and I have extreme worries that irreparable damage is being done. What is also alarming is the level of ignorance and apathy by a good 40-50% of the electorate. Facts don't matter. Only party and power. Conspiracy is truth. Everything is upside down. I am extremely worried about the future of our country, and really all developed nations. Where are our leaders? Where are those who care about doing RIGHT for the sake of OTHERS? I know I don't want to run for office. I see the amazing women in my life who are/have and the burden it has been on them and their families. On a positive note, it has helped me become more vigilant - although I am growing weary. It has helped me reach out more to those who help me feel secure and supported. It has made me value peace, kindness and compassion in others. It has made me proud to be a civil servant who does care about the people and land I serve. I do think these little things make a collectively big difference in the world. I just fear the those with a deeper and wider reach will fuck it up for the rest of us. We're at a dark phase in our history, IMO, and I wonder how long it will take before the sun shines again.
The state of the global climate has me worried. And yet it is also liberating: because I choose to believe that humans will rise to the occasion, and also because it reveals the finitude of time, and the fluidity of structural change. I can feel more free to choose my own calling, as in, "the world as we know it might end soon, so why not live more freely?" I am also called to contribute somehow, even if this only means choosing to live my best life, with passion.
Brexit stupidity continuous unfolding saddens me. It impacts me more than Trump's evil shenanigans; I somehow expected more from the cradle of world's liberalism.
Brexit has been a distraction and a dividing issue in our homeland, while political turmoil here in the US is equally distracting. The only answer seems to be to focus resolutely on the Kingdom of God!
I am black, Jewish, Female, and gay. There is no place safe that would welcome me and my family if shit hits the fan. Even Israel doesn’t welcome Jews who look like me and my girls; no country outside of Africa welcomes people with my skin color—yet I cannot go there because of the way and the who I love. My reality is that my family is not welcome here in America or abroad. And knowing I have nowhere to turn if things get as bad under Trump for me and those who look like me is sobering. If I, an educated lawyer who owns my own firm—has nowhere to go, what must my brothers and sisters who don’t have as much be feeling.
This year has been filled with so much. I think seeing the younger generation rise up made me realize that I am capable of not feeling inadequate or a need to compete. An old narrative is that I find other's success to be a failing of mine, but there is a need for a diverse range of good on a seismic scale. It has brought me a lot closer to humanity generally. I don't want to be a savior because that is isolating, I want to live in a good world and feel a part of the good in a humblingly individual-sized scale. Well maybe like x3 time the average individual. Also it feels nice to know that not only are millennials not alone in many of these fights, but that there is an energy from a group less traumatized by capitalism who was taught to be freer and better to themselves and others.
The heightened awareness of the climate crisis has had a huge impact on me in so many ways. It terrifies me! Having joined 2 protest marches this year has helped me cope a bit more and it was incredibly empowering being amongst likeminded people
All of my friends that I had moved away so my whole world kinda dispersed. Kinda lonely now
As with last year, the president of our country is a worldwide disaster and ongoing global destabilizer. More than that alone, the news, the tweets, the scandals, it’s an ongoing stress that effects everything.,
EVERY DAY SOMETHING TERRIBLE HAPPENS IN THE NEWS. It's horrendous. Our administration and president are horrendous. It is sad and pathetic and embarrassing.
Climate change, but specifically the climate marches and the people working towards eco-socialism and climate justice. With my life being what it is right now, I feel like I can't prioritize this work without doing significant harm in my ability to have my own day-to-day life and existence. And maybe I should be more willing to risk what little security I have right now than I am. I don't know if I'm making the right choices (to work instead of going to the climate marches because I need to pay tuition, for example). I know my friend is throwing themselves so fully into this movement, at a detriment to their own well-being, and I worry so much about them, even as I worry that maybe I should be doing as much as them.
Fucking Orange-faced Cheeto and his lying ass - every damn day. Causes me anxiety, depression, fear for the future. Seriously. My mental health has suffered greatly because of his horrible nature... I can't even go on.
"The death of my mom. Dad died in 2010, so now they are both gone. Totally removed any assemblage of being a child, of having a parent." I am without siblings, and am tempted to rebuild my life in isolation. I have had 10 years to attempt to understand grief and need to cherish this time, while trying to care for mine.
You would think I would have known that a mass shooting would affect me emotionally. You would be wrong. Sadly, this year brought the largest Jewish massacre in American history with a shooting at the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh late last October. April saw a similar shooting even closer to home at the Chabad of Poway in San Diego. We’ve become disturbingly accustomed to mass shootings in the US. They happen nearly every day here, after all. But these two hit home. I knew people who were standing outside the Pittsburgh shul when the shooting started who described sprinting for cover when they heard the bullets. At Poway, one of my coresident’s dear family friends was murdered. For a time after Pittsburgh I felt unsafe as a Jew in public spaces. Seemingly every Jewish holiday follows the dictum: ‘They tried to kill us, we survived, let’s eat!’. Yet only two generations after the last genocide, those threats of physical danger seemed to fit a different time and place. Yes, it might have happened in 1940, but it’s 2019! Yes, maybe Israel has Iron Dome to protect it from the rockets, but this is America! I lost some faith in American exceptionalism with Pittsburgh. How could someone be so deranged by hate or mental illness to murder people in a house of G-d? Why do they hate us so much? What is keeping me and my loved ones safe? Slowly, that feeling of unease settled. I remember similarly feeling comfortable on the bus during my morning commute in Jerusalem, even with the knowledge that a terrorist attack had occurred on the same route five years earlier. Overall, the shootings haven’t changed much of my day to day life. I still go to synagogue and Jewish events just as I would otherwise. I do hope I can appreciate those holy spaces just a little bit more knowing how fragile they can be.
The Trump Presidency - all of it. It has sparked heated debates and conversations between family members at the dinner table. Now, the possibility of impeachment is a hot topic.
white nationalist terrorism in America. Police terrorizing black and brown communities. PoC trans women of color being murdered. Being a jewish woman of color who doesn't feel at home in any synagogue that I've found. More nationalist policies and talking heads. People voting against their own best interest. The president in an impeachment inquiry. snowstorms in Montana in September, 100 degrees in DC in October, climate change. Everything feels dire, like an emergency, like we may not survive this. I want to survive and I can 't quite figure out how to also enjoy every part of life while trying to survive.
About the same time I got my abortion, several states started putting through heartbeat bills banning abortions at about the same time I got mine. I did so much research before getting my abortion, I really wanted to be sure I wasn't killing a living, sentient thing. I have two planned children already, I know the miracle of life and that what is just a lump of cells can turn into a complex beautiful child. However, at that point in pregnancy it is truly just a lump of cells. It isn't a complex beautiful child yet. It isn't even a "heartbeat", there isn't a HEART! Having an abortion is a difficult decision, and I'm grateful I was able to get it done legally and the decision was mine, not some male politician trying to get votes from people who should have no say in my body.
The civil unrest in Hong Kong is truly scary and hit close to home because a former colleague lives there now with her husband and new baby. I reached out to her when I was reading about it, as I hadn't been in touch in a while, and she said they were nervous but managing okay. Reminded me just how lucky I feel to live in Canada!!
For me, it is hard to capture this year in one event. Rather it seems one dominated by disruption and instability -> whether that is represented by the migrant crisis at the US border, escalating information about the global climate crisis (amplified by the Amazon fires), or the political instability in the U.S. and the broader movement toward right-wing Nationalist politics elsewhere, I find myself holding a constant sense of unease. As a mom to an almost-teen and an older teen, it is also tough to balance keeping them informed and engaged in these issues with maintaining a sense of hope about the future.
I’m really inspired by Greta Thunbergs crusade to call out the world powers about their responsibilities and the damage that they’re doing to the planet. It’s made me a lot more conscious of our own individual impact and efforts to live more eco friendly
Politics in the world has gone crazy, but no more crazy than in the U.S. as we start an impeachment inquiry. The piece that has had the most impact on me is the way we are treating asylum seekers. It is inhumane and disgusting. We are destroying the southern desert/border and families to satisfy the ego of one man, the president of the U.S.
The tree of life shooting made me question my safety in this country.
The Hong Kong protests have turned given me anti-China sentiment. I didn't feel this way before, but the deception that the Chinese government has done, combined with the attempts of Chinese in western society to distort the facts, has been highly concerning.
In March of 2019, New Zealand's first terrorist attack occurred in Christchurch. A gunman entered a mosque during prayer and opened fire. I am not Muslim and this was not an attack on my culture or beliefs but it was an attack in my country and it still feels disgusting to know that that level of hatred found a place to organise and broadcast here. I am proud of the way our govt has responded, and I hope the Muslim community feel supported in their grief.
The children being separated from their parents has broken my heart. I can't even imagine having my daughter taken from me, and she is now an adult. The stories of some very young ones not even recognizing their parents now is awful.
Trump and all of the uneducated or hateful people that follow him. It's destroyed relationships of mine and continues to destroy much of the forward progress we've made as humanity.
It’s really several years old now, but Trump’s election. I still feel like I’m caught in an alternate universe, and not the good one. That, together with the generally hateful world climate, have really stoked my fears of another holocaust. It happened to my dad, it can happen to me.
I've become a bit numb to the news this year, but I think the on-going Brexit saga is up there. It's informed our decision not to move back to the UK, and to seek Canadian citizenship. I've never been so ashamed of my country.
America’s White House is a sh*t show. So I’ve gotten far more involved in politics. In Colorado, Lorena Garcia is running for the U.S. Senate. She and I met, and we’ve have become friends, and through that contact, I’ve also become active in local politics. I’m doing active campaigning for five candidates for City Council, and I’ve met several of my State Representatives, too. I truly want to help those who are progressively changing the world. It’s time.
Back to back mass-shootings in Texas and Ohio. I'm tired of hearing about these, I"m tired of this happening, I'm tired of our fucking government doing fucking nothing about it because they're all beholden to corporations and the NRA instead of being beholden the the PEOPLE who got them there.
It's really weird to answer "the president committed treason again" every year, but HERE WE ARE. I'm increasingly concerned about our ability, as a species, to withstand the rate and sophistication with which we're bombarded with misinformation, and I think we might cook the planet before we pivot. And then I'm not sure that will help.
The shooting last October at the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh. Now every synagogue, including ours, has to have a security plan and has, or is contemplating, armed guards during services. Fences are going up and it feels like we;re being closed in.
Global warming. It has changed how I get around, what I eat, how local I insist on my produce. Now, I buy carbon offsets when I fly.
AntiSemitic assaults
I hate to have to echo last year's answer, but it's true. President Trump's decision to separate families, and imprison children away from their parents has frightened me so much. Add to that the seeming increase in mass shootings, and it makes me terrified for us to leave the house at all. I worry about dying and leaving the kids alone, or worse, that one or both of them should be killed. I try to tamp down my anxiety about this as much as possible, and I'm working to get my will done, so that at least I'll know that they will be taken care of.
So many world events, all tragic - & yet, so few that impacted me in the ways they should. Sometimes, it feels like we've all become immune to tragedy, to pain, to suffering. The first thing that comes to mind is the shooting at Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh last October. I still remember where I was, how I felt: a text from my mom while I stood in line for Harry Potter Day at Kelsey Elizabeth Cakes with Mike & Lilly. Calling Jenna, calling Mark. Posting, panicking. Trying not to cry. The weird service we went to that weekend at Anshe Chesed. The friends who reached out to say they were thinking of me. This work I do, this Jewish work, some days - most days - it just feels like a job. I am just a regular person, doing a regular thing, in a regular work environment. But then I remember that I am doing a Jewish person, doing a Jewish thing, in a Jewish environment, in a world where a great many people openly & viciously hate Jews. To be proudly & outspokenly Jewish today is, as it has been throughout history, a statement in itself. It says that we will not hide. Every day, through my work, I say that I am not hiding - that this is me, that this is my community, that these are my people. That if I die for being a Jew, I die proud of who I am. Frankly, I hadn't thought much about that until the Pittsburgh shooting - a privilege American Jews can no longer claim, if we ever should've to begin with.
My wedding. Seeing how much this life cycle ritual means to people, experiencing so much family coming together. Still figuring out how it is impacting me...
The terrorist attacks at Squirrel Hill and Poway Chabad woke me up to the fears that so many carry with them each day as they enter public schools or places of worship. Our synagogue has since invested significant time and dollars to hardening our building. At first, the presence of additional guards made me angry and sad that we live in a new reality. Now I am used to the increased vigilance and accept and appreciate the ways in which it deters violence. During Rosh Hashanah services I served as a greeter. For a split second I wondered what I would do if the unthinkable were to happen. Then someone arrived and I smiled and greeted them. I am much more comfortable with the latter. I wish time could be reversed and angry, alienated, confused boys could be directed to find love and life purpose instead of hate and destruction. I wish the people who are no longer with us, people who added so much love and light to the world, were here to celebrate Rosh Hashanah with their congregations.
Brexit. Brexit. Brexit. Not only has it directly affected my career, it has made me at times embarrassed to be British, fearful of the future and changed my opinions of people I know. So far nothing positive has come out of the process, and I would be very surprised if anything does.
I am more obsessed with politics today than ever - which is saying something. Impeachment does that. I love politics and want to be involved, but find ways to do that which won’t completely disrupt my life. But I feel a little stuck in the middle.
Unfortunately, again, I would have to say Donald Trump. And its not just him. Its him getting everyone riled up and feeling like they can do or say whatever they want to. As I answer this question, impeachment proceedings are about to begin. I was too young to follow the Bill Clinton proceedings, and if impeachment happens it will only be the 4th time in history. So really, I'm witnessing a very important part of our history and how we move forward. In all honesty, I don't believe that anything will happen. I think it might even backfire. But at least there are people in our government who are finally willing to take a stand. It will be very interesting to see my answer to this question next year.
All the anger, partisan politics and rage on both sides has made me even more skeptical about our government and its leaders. Trump's popularity despite his continued lies baffles me and makes me feel I am a minority. All the anti-Semitism, both national and local, have made me for the first time in my life worried about the future of Jews and Jewish life in the US.
Brexit Brexit Brexit as like everyone else I'm on tenterhooks wondering whether we will leave the EU or not, and how awful it'll be when we do. Ah, and the gathering momentum around climate change, I suppose I'm cutting down on eating meat as a result. You know, to save the planet.
This question is difficult because there have been so many events that have impacted me this year. I guess an event that has impacted me this year is Trump repeatedly using anti-semitic tropes that accuse Jews of being disloyal to America, further stoking the White Nationalist Movement and Neo Nazi party here and abroad. It's impacted me because for the first time in my life I feel, as a Jew, unsafe in my country. I question whether, in the future, the US will be a safe home for me and my children (as well as other non-white Christian people). I worry about where in the world would there be a safe haven for us and wonder if my thoughts and feelings are the thoughts and feelings of my ancestors, both those who escaped persecution and those who died because of it.
Everything Trump. Stress, and the continued struggle not to lose my faith in the American people and our commitment to common decency and the rule of law. I wonder now whether we have the strength of will to right this ship before it capsizes.
Too many to name, but the overarching chaos that has been the way that the tories have dealt with Brexit without making any attempt to sort out the grassroots issues that led to it in so many deprived and forgotten communities
The protests in Hong Kong. Because we lived there recently and it has grown dear to me. Also what it says about the state of this world. I always wonder when we will stop. How can we still be living in a world where innocents get beaten up and mistreated by those who are supposed to govern us, keep us save, protect us...
The global warming/climate change, has created more hurricanes. We survived the large Hurricane Dorian thankfully with no damage where we live. Unfortunately many people in Bahamas and other areas were affected by it. We were fortunate and thankful here in Central FL
There was a shooting in Pittsburgh at the Tree of Life Synagogue that killed eleven people on Shabbat. It was horrific. Unthinkable. All mass shootings are, of course, but I felt Pittsburgh even more strongly because I could picture it. This was an assault on my people, on me. I felt less safe walking around as a Jewish person, especially in the South. Samuel and I started going to synagogue services - not many of them, but a few here and there. Actually, the effects are even bigger than I realized. After the initial horror faded, I began to feel even more connected to my Judaism than before. Samuel has decided to convert, so we've been going to a synagogue here in Raleigh a bit more frequently, and even became members. I've even started observing Shabbat by not getting onto social media and not working on school work. I feel more connected to being Jewish than I have in a long time.
I feel like Christians are being marginalized in the attempt to be inclusive and diverse.it makes me think that the end is near and prophecy is being fulfilled.
Wow. Just yesterday I heard a stringy little 16 year old girl from Sweden give one of the most heartfelt empowering speeches I ever heard re the climate change global warming crisis. Greta Thunberg. And her interview with the NYC newscaster was also amazing. She is an enlightened Buddha, a reincarnation of Martin Luther King and I worry some idiot will try to assassinate her. She is the kind of leader people follow because quite simply, she tells the truth, no holds barred. I am amazed and heartened and encouraged to think that maybe she and her generation can actually turn this crisis around before it becomes a catastrophe like our human world has never known.
As with last year, the president continues to impact me. He is a constant event. It would be great if the media would ignore him, if other politicians would stand up to him, and if when he bullies someone they would walk away from him until he was able to converse instead of bully.
Gun violence in America. It terrifies me, perplexes me, and makes me crazy that we cannot speak intelligibly about solutions. We can only dialogue in extremes.
I'm having a really hard time with the fact that we're imprisoning immigrant children. I think about how frightened and demoralized they must be. I think about their families in anguish. I hope they have strength and guardian angels to help them be ok. I hope we do better as a nation.
There's been a lot in the news lately about global warming. I had this realization earlier this year that I really don't understand what the benefit is in not believing that it's happening. How could it possibly be a bad thing to treat our earth better? Like even if you choose to ignore all the research and science about it, don't we want to make sure we treat our earth in the best way possible and make sure it's here for a long, long time? We continued with our zero waste journey this year and have made even more improvements, like becoming Co-op members so we can bring our own containers and buying re-usable garbage bags. I'm going to continue trying to make my own little corner of the world a better place with less garbage.
An event that really effected me this year was the massacre at the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh. The scourge of gun violence in the country has made us almost numb to it, but in the Tree of Life shooting I felt a new sense of discomfort and fear. The idea that American synagogues are "fair game" for mass shootings is something that in 2019 I can't fathom. When I found out about the shooting I immediately thought of my cousin Chevi and her husband Raimy who is from Pittsburgh. I reached out to them and, it turned out, I was the first person to tell them what had happened. The shock, the sadness, the insecurity. Being a Jew in America in 2019 is far from easy. In the past year Miriam and Ella have become obsessed with the Sound of Music and this has lead to a fair number of conversations about Nazis. I always tell that that it is different in America and that we are safe here. What I don't tell them is that particularly after the Tree of Life shooting I'm not sure I believe that any more.
The Tree of Life shootings in Pittsburgh, right after the High Holidays last year. They really brought to attention -- mine and the country's -- how ingrained antisemitism is in some people's minds. But what affected me just as much was the resounding support of the Jewish community in response to the shootings. That following Shabbat, Friday services were packed. Many of my Jewish friends, most of whom I don't regularly see at services, were there. It was quite moving.
The state of the word frightens me beyond measure. I want to cry when I think of the ice caps and glaciers melting. I can't think about the amount of birds that have died in the US and Canada in the past 50 years (27%). Politically, the appointment of Justice Kavenaugh was really a low point for me. I think I suffered post traumatic stress like many women. It was unimaginable.
The world is ending. There's no other way to put it. It's not just our humanity and our ethics, it's quite literally the future of the planet. I think the future is too large and scary for people to comprehend. We're selfish. We only know the right now. I'm trying to force myself to examine how I can do better in thinking beyond the right-now to do more of what's sustainable even if it means doing less of what's comfortable. Often, I know, I don't succeed.
The Tree of Life Synagogue shooting in Pittsburgh. It really opened my eyes to how much hate is still in this country and how far we still have to come as a society. It also was the triggering factor in me getting interested in politics... cause Trump.
The immigration crisis in the US. Because there are so many refugees and immigrants in my community, and I’ve been organizing with groups that are trying to help them out. I feel like it’s my responsibility as a Jew to be welcoming and assist immigrants, because I wouldn’t be lucky enough to be here we’re it not for my immigrant grandparents, and all those who assisted them. It fills me with anger and sadness that we haven’t really progressed as a country on accepting immigrants into our culture and nation. At the same time this conflict has definitely strengthened my Jewish identity.
The horror that is our current president, the rise in hate crimes, the normalization of hate speech, the dangers of widespread climate-change denial, the entrenched resistance to gun-safety measures (and I don't think these are unconnected) are far worse than I, at my most pessimistic, could have imagined. We are now facing the prospect of impeachment, and I have no idea how that will go. I keep thinking my capacity for outrage will reach some kind of limit, but no.
Count me among those who are cautiously optimistic that our national Trump sickness is beginning to abate. I feel a bit saner, watching truth and some semblance of public sanity start to emerge.
I don't think anything in particular in the world has impacted me. But there are many things - Brexit, America, the rise of nationalism generally, coupled with unrelentingly depressing news about the pace at which we're destroying our planet and not doing anything about it - that make me feel a bit miserable and dispirited by the future. So compared to my youth, which I guess I'm reflecting generally on losing, the world of things getting better, more liberal, more open, this seems like an increasingly bad time for my children to grow into.
Continuing indifference to mass shootings. Thoughts and prayers aren't working. I despair over the state of this country.
The US detained children at its southern border. They did this by separating them from their families and sometimes putting them in cages. Some children got such terrible (non-existent) medical care that they died in custody. This is not how I see the US treating immigrants... though it reminds me of how the US turned away Jews in WW II.
Brexit. It’s made me embarrassed to be British.
Greta's speech in the UN about climate change reminded me that this is the MOST important issue for me, and that in everything I do, I want to be mindful of how I am fighting climate change and spreading awareness.
There's a lot of talk about climate change, and kids are even skipping school and hitting the streets all over the world to protest it. While I am all for preserving our Earth, reducing emissions and plastic garbage, etc... I personally think that the protests are not really going to help much in the long run. I feel like politicians are using young people to get their agendas more publicity (and money). The reason I am skeptical about the protesting is that our Earth is *always* in a climate change. We've had Ice Ages and times where deserts were once lush jungles (thinking of Africa for example). In any case, I do think it's great to see such passion come from all the young people! And, I know that cleaner air and water are essential to our future, but when it comes to temperature levels, I do not believe that it will always be steady throughout eternity.
The current political situation has me terrified and I do NOT want to write about it.
Again, this year, no one event comes to mind. Instead, it's the constant barrage of crazy coming from our president and the Republicans who try to twist the truth for their own ends. How did my country become this? This morning I listened to Trump trying to make the case that Adam Schiff is treasonous, once again astonished that a human being with so little understanding of anything outside his own need to be important, right and powerful was elected to the highest office in the land. I realize that I am exactly the person the Republicans want to demonize. I am, after all, a socialist at heart. I believe that the point of a society is that we take care of each other. Business has no vested interest in our well-being, other than to create consumers of their products. I constantly think about the de Toqueville line, something like "the average American is hard, isolate, stoic and a killer," and it turns out he was right. I suppose at heart that's a Calvinist ethic, but the Dutch have that in spades and they still take care of their people. But these are people who seem to take pride in standing on top of the masses of underprivileged, holding their assault rifles at the ready in case they'll have to share their worldly goods with people they've been trained to see as undeserving. It's immoral. So that rant goes through my head pretty much on a daily basis and it's become the lens through which I see world events.
Brexit getting closer and closer. Will it happen? Won't it happen? Who knows? I'd just wish it would go away. But it won't.
I think I was really affected by the Tree of Life shooting in Pittsburgh. It felt very close to home in a lot of ways, as a person who often attends synagogue, and just the general idea of synagogue shootings has been terrifying to me lately. I thought about it a lot at shul on the first morning of Rosh Hashana. It is a very scary thing to live in a world where I am so similar to targeted victims of gun violence, that I really believe it could have been me or anyone else like me.
Trump. Everything trump. I'm horrified and disgusted and not sure what America is any longer
Everything in the world has impacted me this year. Brexit, Kasshoggi, Ukraine, Hong Kong, Bolsonnaro, Duterte, Modi, Trudeau, Trump and more. I have never felt so demoralized by world events and the people in power. I hope next year, somehow, is better.
The vote in February in the global UMC to adopt the Traditional Plan rocked our world. This vote along with the political landscape of the world and the continued support for hate and fear mongering movements and politicians is supremely disheartening.
I honestly can’t think of anything. Which actually scares me a little. News has been so crazy that I think I’ve been desensitized.
No single event, but the increasing signs that we have totally destroyed our climate are making me feel so much despair. It is 98 degrees outside in October as I write this. I fear that our country will slide so quickly from "climate change is fake" to "climate change is real and we need a wall to keep out all the refugees" that it'll make everyone's heads spin.
The Mueller report. I'm amazed and disappointed to see partisan politics reach the level to which our politicians will spin, character-assassinate, and cover up illegal activity for personal political gain. The Mueller report clearly outlines attempted crimes by the President and yet Fox News and Republicans did everything in their power to obstruct and spin the results. And it worked. A large part of our electorate believes the Mueller was an exoneration of the President all because Fox and Trump screamed "no collusion" loud enough and often enough to convince people. A. it reinforces the power of media, for better or worse, and B. it shows the lack of objectivity and curiosity (no one read it) in current society. I haven't even touched on the "fake news" campaign, which has probably done more damage to our democracy than anything in my lifetime. Don't get me started...
The hate-filled disaster of trump continues to plague me - and the world. It is not a better place since he came to power.
I think the thing it's impacting me the most as what's going on in the South China sea and in particular in Hong Kong I also a bit worried about China's military rise how many weapons they got and basically the militarisation of the globe. I'm worried about humanity I'm worried that we become nationalistik indoor most insane when I desire to protect assets and all those kinds of things. I wish I'm how we could put the human back in humanity in people could co-operate rather than dominate special creatures, we could easily be connected to each other if only we opened ourselves up to it. Power hungry people are corrupting the world Andy corrupting themselves and they are corrupting values and ideology. I'm worried about humanity. I'm worried about war and war machines. I'm worried about the Amazon and I'm worried about my daughter's future. I want us to leave the world better than when we found it. Better for having us here and I wish every generation felt that way. Leaving the world with low trees, cleaner air and better oceans. Creating better rather than taking more. Giving back for giving us life.
Whew. Still Trump. Threading the needle between honoring the office of the President, and disliking how our President conducts himself in the world. All aside from policy, which I'm not fond of (but which I don't generally see as the sky-is-falling scenario that's it's been painted as). And trying to figure out how to see clearly through the alternately shrill and dismissive rhetoric from both political parties, so I can make my own assessments, without wanting to tune them all out (which I suspect is the goal of many of them). All while mourning general decency and the intent of the law (e.g., Congress is an equally-weighted branch of the government which must be respected for its oversight responsibilities). There aren't any good solutions to these frictions, and there doesn't seem to be any relief in sight (we're now at the beginning of impeachment inquiry in the last week), so how to roll forward? And this is a personal question, as well as a role model question, since D is 12 and is watching how I resolve these things. Or even how I talk about them with him and others. Sigh. Who knew it would get this bad? and how bad will it continue to get?
There were numerous mass shootings in mosques and synagogues this year, fueled by racism, hate speech and religious intolerance. All of these horrific incidents impacted me emotionally, but the shooting at a synagogue in Pittsburgh, where I went to college and was involved in local Jewish life, hit especially close to home. The thin silver lining of these events was in witnessing how my Muslim brothers and sisters supported my community in our time of grief, and how the Jewish community in turn showed up for tragedies in the Islamic world. At one interfaith vigil I spoke with a young Muslim woman about how we need to build community in times of joy and celebration as well as times of sadness and mourning. I took the opportunity to attend an interfaith women's iftar during Ramadan, which was a beautiful experience of healing and communion.
Greta Thunberg sailing across the Atlantic impressed and moved me a lot. I found it very impressive and touching that she was so brave and stuck with her convictions in such a disciplined, driven and cool way.
The climate strike week was beautiful, energizing, vital, and hopeful. I joined Urban Adamah at the SF march. I am inspired to decrease my animal product intake. I will be vegan 3 days/week and stop eating meat all together for 6 months this year. I want to practice living in a smaller footprint.
The evil of separating children from their parents at our border is breathtaking in its scope and heartbreaking in its impact. I’m so happy to be helping on our temple truck going to our rabbi contact at the border for distribution in shelters, as I feel finally I’m doing something concrete to help remedy the situation.
Maybe this is a selfish answer, and I should say what's going on with the migrants on the USA/MX border, or some other humanitarian disaster. Hurricane Maria. Climate change. But what's most impacted ME? Definitely the economic crisis in Argentina. Earning in pesos and experiencing periods of extreme devaluation, of watching two carnicerías on my block close in a week. People's faces in the streets. The sinking feeling. Everything more expensive. Telling friends in the US cheerfully that now more than ever their money will go farther in Argentina - it's a great time to visit me! (Not that anyone came.) This experience has continued to drive a wedge between me and them, this life and that life. Will my relationships recover? Will the people I love be able to understand what it's like? I'm sure I'll have plenty of insights a year from now.
The children in prison thanks to Drumpf. I cannot imagine how the families cope. The humanity!
I was really saddened by the death of a local bicycle advocate named Dave Salovesh. I'm not a regular bike commuter in the way that I used to be but I appreciate how bike advocates have helped transform DC into the more bike-friendly city it is today. As someone living on this side of town, the Florida Avenue speedway has always felt unnecessarily dangerous (and wide given the volume of traffic in the area). The fact that he was killed so gruesomely on a stretch of road that he specifically advocated for felt incredibly tragic.
The continued collusion, treason, and crime in the White House breaks my heart. The investigation into impeachment gives me hope. I've become obsessed and deeply sad. I swing between despair and hope on a daily basis. The ruination of global human rights and the dismantling of US democracy give me great fear. Global Climate Change is reality and GOP obfuscation of the facts and disengagement from solutions is wrong!
Mass shootings in El Paso, TX and Dayton, OH occurring just days apart in a Walmart and a bar, respectively. It has made me far more fearful going about my normal activities, always imagining scenarios and looking for escape routes/hiding spots. The fact that we, as a society, love guns more than human life and safety is appalling.
This isn't a "world" event but a personal one: making plans to go to Turks & Caicos for my first ever international swim race as part of a romantic getaway to celebrate Jason's birthday, and to share my love of sport with him (and receive support from someone who claimed to care for me), only to get word from him a week beforehand that he wasn't "able" to make it and that I'd be traveling on my own (in addition to paying for everything by myself). Not only did I pay for a luxury suite at a resort near the race venue that was NOT all inclusive, I had to pay for the very expensive food -- and I never got any closure or apology or acknowledgement of wrongdoing afterwards. I did however, manage to race my first Ironman distance swim in seawater and I beat my goal time and met some really lovely open water swimmers there, so while the trip was a victory and testament to my resilience and strength, it was a horrible emotional experience. Being left alone was intensely humiliating and reminiscent of all the other times men who have claimed to care for me/love me have said lovely things, made romantic plans only to leave me, not show up or follow through. It really was the last straw that solidified my need to seek out therapy because I got exceedingly tired of meeting men who seem to be different: who seem capable of relationship and emotional expression/communication. But when they do the exact same thing that previous men have done, I have to question why I'm the common denominator; what is it about me that seeks out these dynamics, and how can I resolve whatever issues are within me so that I can start to shift the way I respond? I want to make better decisions that help me live more authentically, and with more happiness and fulfillment. Being heartbroken and humiliated by Jason after I had decided to trust my gut about him helped me finally make the move to seek out the therapist that I now see, and she has been excellent. She is helping to coach me to tease apart all the different parts of my personality, to give them each the space and platform they need to feel heard and validated. She's helping me to understand that all of my parts are valid and have served very important functions in my life, but that many of them may be ready to start serving other purposes at this stage, and they may just need to be introduced to the idea that I'm a grownup now, who has tools and resources to manage these parts of myself that needed protection to survive as a child.
Climate change is officially irreversible, and it is scary. Scientists are at a loss for how we will adapt in this new and changing environment, and I have no idea how to comfort my children (or myself).
It feels like the world is ending. Climate crisis and plastic pollution have gotten so bad that I see very little hope for humanity. Between mass extinctions, the destruction of beautiful ecosystems, and the sheer discomfort of living through polar vortexes, wildfires, and the blind arrogance of conservatives in the face of such destruction, it makes me wonder if having children is a good idea after all.
Uhhh. Um. I think this might be the year that the climate ball finally gets rolling. I hope. The climate strike has been really big in the news, and also yesterday was the hottest October 1 on record in Toronto ever. Everything else I can think of feels like the usual drumbeat of mass shootings and horrifying electoral politics and the general collapse of democracy. The Canadian election is in a couple of weeks and I'm morbidly curious.
Trump's statement that Jews who vote Democrat are disloyal angered me and many other Jews. What a fucking chump. I truly resent anyone who tells me or any Jew where our loyalties should lie.
Travel ban and the devastating separation of families at the border. The feeling of loss of innocence, hope, and ambition imagining our families separated leaves me feeling gutted. With my 2 babes - how we do *everything* in our power to stay together since the womb... these mothers and parents and brothers and sisters also do *everything* in their power. And to lose that togetherness is to lose everything. Everything is lost and I can not imagine. What do we do? I feel so so helpless and empty and gutted.
I was super happy to watch the USA women's team win the FIFA world cup. Even though they won against Holland, the Dutch girls did not play as well and did not deserve the win. The American team did great, and I hope that spurs Americans to finally take an interest in soccer.
Every day, he disasters and meanness that come from Donald Trump make me sadder and sadder. I stay away from watching or reading any news, but it still creeps through. The atmosphere he and others of his ilk are creating on this planet is heartbreaking and I have a hard time to keep from slipping into despair. Rays of hope are out there: election season is coming up and many qualified people are speaking up. Greta Thunberg is making climate change a priority to many. I hope it's not too late. What keeps me going is my New-Agey belief, reinforced by Sharon, that this is all part of the plan for the planet's transformation, and that I chose to be here to help it happen. I hang on because of that.
An event in the world that has impacted was the Global Climate march because it was amazing how many students of all ages chose to miss school that day to protest for something that they felt strongly about. It was a really great experience to get to march with so many people, chant amazing, strong chants, and to hear amazing people share amazing words.
The shootings in El Paso really impacted me. That, and the ICE raids in July. Both were events that felt too big and catastrophic and evil for me to hold in my mind as reality. I cried a lot both of those days. I felt very small. I don't feel better about them now, but they are less present in my mind (fortunately or unfortunately).
It would be the same answer as last year, only on steroids! This current administration's cruel policies, stripping of people's dignity and lawlessness are in my head daily. There is no getting away from it.
Pittsburgh Poway the arrival in Winnipeg of an insidious white supremacist group based entirely on maximizing violence. I don't walk around afraid, but no one can quite put the genie back in the bottle.
The March for Climate Action and the buzz leading up to it encouraged me to take another look at our lifestyle and come up with additional ways we could use fewer resources. It also made me realize that it is my duty to keep our elected officials accountable and to remind them of what we, the people, truly want. It spurred me to action!
The Trump presidency. Our country is going backwards. Trump has emboldened racists and misogynists. The environment is falling apart around us. We need to have more compassion for human beings no matter their race, gender, religion or country of origin.
I am obsessed at the moment with this impeachment inquiry that has just launched. News, major news, is breaking three times or more each day and it can be hard for me to concentrate on other things. Twitter is so alluring! Trump makes me feel gross. Frightened. He triggers existential worries about the fate of the Republic.
Trump. Is everyone else saying the same thing, whether they hate or love him? He is this ticking time bomb of a person and leader and everyone is waiting to see what comes next, especially now.
This whole political nonsense. It seems odd that intelligent people can't sit around a table and workout a plan that supports everyone's needs. The impact is the stress and alarm that the arguments, lies and deceit, has brought to the people in the country. Interesting times indeed.
The election of Trump has been disappointing and terrifying all together. Our community and our family feel the burden, though not half as much as so many people around us. We’ve sent more money in donations this year, though I know that doesn’t make up for his damage to the environment, protection of endangered species, climate protections, immigrant rights, and so much more.
The burning of the Amazon and the climate movement seems to be gaining steam. Being vegan for the last 6 years feels great, and more people are realizing how the use and exploitation of animals impacts our world.
Brexit Brexit Brexit. Disbelief, fear and uncertainty. Riding far-Right perspective becoming more mainstream. Makes me fear for society and see how fragile progress is.
Politics is still a nightmare. People are so divided, it's sad. My brother thinks Obama is an undercover Muslim terrorist and Trump is a good businessman. I was shocked and devastated. We argued and got nowhere, because he thinks he's always right. I apologized for the way I was talking because family is more important. He forgave me immediately and said it was no big deal. Too bad more people can't focus on what's REALLY important... those who love you.
Trump. Trump. Trump. How has Trump impacted me? Because he brings the shadow side of each of us into view: greed, lust, power over ... everything. And this is both invigorating as well as causing a cloud of hopelessness -- or at least confusion -- which is descending across the globe. Yes, we must each do our part. But what is the "part" when the structure is broken. The foundation is cracked and crumbling. So doing our "part" needs to be very much assessed. Perhaps everything must burn down before the phoenix can rise.
The massacre in Pittsburgh. Every Jew in America is probably going to answer that but it made me doubt whether I truly belong or if I can live this part of my life openly. It shouldn’t be that way but if Trump wins in 2020 maybe I’ll have to make Aliyah.
A good friend almost got shot at the mass shooting at the Gilroy Garlic Festival. I have always been against guns and tried to speak out against it. Having someone so close to me made me not surprised, but devastated that these incidents continue to happen after so many voices and efforts to stop this insane violence.
Too many mass shootings. I don't understand how people can so disregard life. It is tragic!
The mass shootings and killings around the world have caused me to be more fearful, apprehensive, and careful when being in large crowds. The instances that have occurred have been so unexpected and horrible. Knowimg that they cannot be predicted and prevented is very scary. It makes me not want to look at the newspaper or tV News in fear of what I will see and hear.
Jamie and I canvassed for Max Rose and were a part of successfully flipping a seat from Red to Blue and helping Democrats retake the House. Being part of the 2018 election restored some faith that I can be a part of positive political discourse and have a first hand impact upon a democratic government. It was the first time in a while I felt some vindication and that all hope was not lest yet for the US.
Jason Crow defeated Mike Coffman is Colorado CD 6. We had been trying to elect a dem in this district for 8 years, and all those walks and phone calls finally flipped the district.
Gosh there have been quite a few. The Mueller Report gave me such false hope that we would be able to get rid of this bastard in office. And now we have a real shot at impeachment and I feel like I am more emotionally detached this time. I don't want to get my hopes up this time so I seem to be subconsciously choosing to not get invested in the process. Right after Rosh Hashanah last year was Brett Kavanaugh's Supreme Court confirmation hearing. That was tough for me. It was really hard to listen to him and many other powerful people try to discredit Dr. Christine Blasey-Ford. It was a little triggering for me. And it made me feel so hopeless and as if nothing had really changed. On the other end of that, Ayanna Pressley's defeat of Mike Capuano was a pretty cool thing to be present for. I was working the polls in the district she was elected in on that very day. I saw the record turnout. I saw the number of young people and people saying they had never voted before voting. That gave me a lot of hope. That race was garnering so much national attention and I got to experience it at such a local level and that was really special to me.
Oh gosh. The world. Let me think of a positive one. I think the discovery of the Hidden Brain podcast has been great for me! We are so deeply entrenched in problems and negativity as a culture right now. It makes me want to retreat from “the world” into my world, but also that is the whole problem
Actually just recently my uncle got diagnosed with lung cancer. Another somewhat close family member got diagnosed with breast cancer a couple months ago but, the impact of my uncle diagnosed is so much stronger. It represents the real life impacts of smoking. I feel compassion for my dad who must be hurting more than I am. While my uncle and I are not super close, it is still kind of a mind boggling concept to get my head around. Many people I am close with are affected. It puts life into perspective as cheesy as that sounds. I have started thinking about how I spend my time more often, what health choices I’ve made, how I exist in this life. It changes everything.
there are someday that impacted me from the hurricane to the attempted torching of synagogues to the latest - one of of the oldest in the country being burned down. And now, my congregation which was always open to all, now must have locked doors
All the political drama that’s going on in the US inspired me to volunteer for the Green Party of the US. It’s awesome getting to be involved in the political process and try to inspire people to make the world a better place even if people don’t understand that having other political parties is a good thing
The shooting at the Pittsburgh synagogue happened fairly soon after my conversion to Judaism. I felt so touched by the support from the Muslim community who came to worship with us at the synagogue the following Shabbat. It reminded me how much we need to reach out to our brothers and sisters in other communities in order to fight hatred and make it through the world.
Kavanaugh’s joining the Supreme Court has sickened me. The treatment of refugees at the borders gutted me. Because I’m human. Because cruelty is overlooked, condoned, chosen as a government policy. And I’ve been too focused on my own grief and getting through day after day, wondering what the point is.
Regrettably this one is too easy. The shootings in Pittsburgh and Poway really hit me hard. I used to say that even though things were not headed in the right direction in this country, at least I felt safe as a Jew. It was really difficult to feel like now I have to be barricaded behind a security wall. We at the synagogue have noted that the church next door to us has virtually no security presence, while we have to have two armed guards. It was a sobering reminder that the arc of history does not always bend towards justice -- at least not in the short term. Hopefully, things will improve over time.
In March, two mosques in New Zealand were attacked. In April, a catholic church was attacked in Sri Lanka. Both resulted in precious lives lost and people injured. Earlier last school year, the shooting at the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh happened. Over the course of one year, I attended a vigil for every major monotheistic religious group to remember lives lost. I cannot begin to explain how sad and angry these events made me and how I increasingly saw the world as fucked up. Living through these major world events makes me want to stand up for people of all religions and fight for religious freedom and unity that we all deserve.
Trump's self-absorbed, destructive presidency. It has fed into my fear about climate change, making it harder to just relax and enjoy this beautiful world. I am pained when I read the first lines of the poem Anthropocene Pastoral: "In the beginning, the ending was beautiful." It is only through my continued work with Citizens' Climate Lobby that I can keep my hopes up.
The shooting at the Chabad of Poway. I live only 15 minutes away, so it hit very close to home. The entire community was shattered for weeks. I had never been so scared to leave my house. It was weird to see my hometown on the news and for such a sad thing. I now can never go to synagogue without having a little bit of fear. I remember crying for many nights, because I didn't know how else to process it.
Maybe the most impactful series of events in the world for me involve rising anti-Semitism. It’s scary and is disguised as concerns about Israel’s government, which I share. Recently, though, I decided to subscribe to the “Jewish Review of Books” and I read an article about how Jews of every generation have thought we were the last. That gave me a different perspective. I am thinking now that there will always be hatred of Jews, it is never going away, so I needn’t be particularly scared that we will be annihilated any time soon.
The Trump presidency has been especially brutal. It has escalated racial tensions in my day to day life. I’m the only black person at my job and it has been exhausting to be in public in general.
Hurricane Dorian has allowed me to meet a new guy because he helped me get out of here and go to Naples. I hope this friendship keeps going for many years to come. It made it easier and less scary to deal with this.
Brexit and stuff related to the economy made us very nervous about buying our home. Trump at the helm in general makes most people nervous despite his claims about what he does for the economy, and it doesn’t even look so rosy any more. Knowing we were having another child and thinking about career options in this context led me to continue with the status quo and not look too hard for a job this summer.
Here in Maine, we elected a democratic governor who is also a woman. She's not perfect, but she's so much better than the racist, sexist hate-monger that we suffered through for 8 years. There's a lot of rebuilding to do, but we, at the least, have someone who cares about doing it. Maine also banned the use of Native Americans as mascots and changed Columbus Day to Indigenous People's Day. MaineCare now covers full reproductive healthcare, including abortion. It has been helpful for me to remember these positive changes at the state level in the midst of the terrible things happening at the federal level.
I tend to keep world news at an arms length to keep seen. I realize I’m able to do this because of my place of privilege, so I still try to stay in touch with the gist of world happenings. The greatest aspect of world happenings that has affected the way I live my life is the state of the environment and climate. I’ve made efforts to sustainability behaviors and feel the weight of the state of the world influencing desires to have kids. I don’t think I’m doing nearly enough, and yet I don’t feel motivated to do more and/or don’t know how to do more.
Honestly, I’ve been shielding myself from world events this year, as most only bring heartache, anxiety, and despair. I won’t allow myself to watch videos of police brutality or civilian vitriol in coffee shop lines. I just can’t consume any more proof of the evil in our hearts. Instead, I continue to pray for peace, work in a field that equips tomorrow’s leaders to be culturally competent, grow in God’s word and challenge myself to love others as Jesus does, and give to church and other organizations that seek to reduce suffering in the world.
My husband studies engineering, he is working with technology that can take a scan and turn it into a 3D pattern for re-assemblage reasons. We watched a utube video about the inventor, he and his team are using this for preservation of heritage listings in case of war....in case of war.
The occupancy of Donald Trump in the White House has been so overwhelming of all the other world events, but the general nationalism and right tilt to the world politics - Netanyahu, Boris Johnson - has been very disheartening.
The ongoing embarrassment that is Donald Trump. His complete incompetency combined with his self-absorbed approach to being President of the USA is beyond belief. It has made me depressed to know that he will set a new low for public office and the world may truly never recover. By that I mean that he has sunk so low that we may accept behaviour from politicians and the general public that was once considered inexcusable. His deplorable conduct has created a new low standard and society seems willing to accept it.
The reverse: learning that in a macro sense, nothing really changes. Things shift a little bit, always reverts to the same thing.
opening the arctic wildlife refuge to drilling. I dont understand how shortsighted humans are. In 20 years (give or take) there will be no more wild salmon. I am so glad I don't have children, and I grieve for those who do.
The climate ever worsens and capitalism continues to fail everybody but the very wealthiest. The world freaked out when a cathedral in France burned in an accident but hardly batted an eye when astronomers continue to try to build TMT and further desecrate Maunakea. Our values and priorities are all mixed up and I hate it.
My answer concerns my country, USA. I'm saddened by three things: the political climate, violence that has taken hold in many of our cities, and the rise again of antisemitism. The horrible political climate has had the effect of causing friends to argue about rather than discuss their differences in opinions. About violence in cities- I think smarter policing is needed, and more community outreach, and a change in attitude of the people who get caught up in the culture of violence. I do NOT think this means that we need attack the Second Amendment, though. After all, criminals will always be able to get guns. About antisemitism, since it's rising on the left as well as the extreme right, I don't know. More reason to be able to protect ourselves.
Greta Thunburg's climate strike, TED Talk, and speech at the UN Climate Conference have been very inspirational to me and eye opening. I have used these resources to inspire and teach kids, but I think the greater impact was on me understanding how backwards it is that this is not our top priority. Before her framing I thought, of course this is a bad thing, of course we won't do anything about it because we're imbeciles, and best not to worry to much because there's little I can do to change that. Greta's words helped me to understand the absurdity of our squabbling over all sorts of things that don't quite matter when humanity ceases to exist. She also helped me to understand that WE HAVE THE SOLUTIONS. We know what we need to do, what changes must be made, and what laws must be passed. We just need people to act. We just need people to prioritize interests other than money and power. People like Greta make me believe that that sort of shift and change actually is possible with enough Gretas and Willows and young people demanding our representatives to make sense.
Yet another year under Trump. The awful things that happen are accumulating and I feel numb, instead of motivated. I assume he's done something else awful instead of being shocked. I should be more involved in change.
Trump. Brexit. Climate change. So so depressing, and I feel pretty helpless.
I think my answer from last year rings true. The 24-hour-news-cycle and the digital age have made information consumption a full-time job. It's hard to remember what happened yesterday, let alone all year. It's tricky. That being said, there are three things that continue to impact me for very different reasons. 1. The Trump presidency - I can hear my mom saying, "if you don't have anything nice to say..." so here's the gist. This is the most divisive, divided, and polarized political climate of my lifetime. We continue to reach new lows in what feels like a race to the bottom (a race, of course, in which everyone loses). 2. The issue of human trafficking - This issue continues to hit home for me. Having only personally known a few survivors of human trafficking, I don't have a lot of personal experience. However, the more I learn about it, the more I want to be part of the solution. There are great organizations out there helping, and I'd like to make sure that wherever I'm investing my energies, that we have strong stance and platform for help. 3. Race relations, particularly in the U.S., are also at a really low point. As the father of a bi-racial son, I want to be part of improving this and be in a listening and learning posture to better understand my brothers and sisters of different backgrounds.
October 27, 2018. 11 people shot one mile from home. It could have been me. It could have been my synagogue (except that I was taking an adult ed class that day). Shot by a white supremacist, ginned up by the ongoing shenanigans of the orange man who would be Putin/demagogue instead of president and the Faux News Network about the scourge of brown people massing at our borders. I have fear every time I set foot in a synagogue, even walking on an off time to go to choir practice. One of my doctors was murdered. When I walked to RH services I did not put on a kippah. I left my tallit at home. Freedom of religion is not free when you have to have armed guards at the door. I feel anxiety about car bombers next. And my friends who still stand by that man and praise him and justify his stands. People who believe themselves to be good Christians but never question who un-Jesus like the president is. Why have they lost their humanity? Why the lack of empathy? I can only shake my head. I try to discuss with a few, who I think can hear what I have to say, but I am saddened, and just let the relationships ebb away.
I am a US expat. Even so, the actions the Trump administration has taken are so extreme, and the racism so blatant, that my mental health has been affect. I am more anxious, more depressed, less optimistic about my and my kids' futures. I doubt until the bigotry emboldened and instituted a policy in the US my family will even be able to visit. My partner is trans, and her safety is not guaranteed wh;ile in the US. Not to mention the epidemic of gun violence and mass shootings.
The amazon rainforest was on fire for WEEKS, and no one noticed. When something like the Notre Dame caught on fire, it was all people talked about for week. Climate activism has been happening since then, thankfully, but there’s still a lot to be done to make situations like that more noticed.
Everything the shit president does.
Well, American politics have been front page news every single day this year... It seems every day or week we're hearing about another scandal or corruption or collusion. And the Democratic primary is almost ridiculous with the number of candidates and the amount of bullshit on both sides. I'm just so sick of everything, including feeling like a Bad Jew for being so liberal, and feeling like a Bad Liberal for being a Zionist.
Trump’s presidency I guess? He made me pay more in taxes.
This year, I protested ICE with Never Again Action (with an organization called Cosecha). I wasn't up to the march to and protest at the ICE facility afterward because my body wasn't tolerating the heat, which made me feel bad because there was a lot of rhetoric about how that was the bare minimum you could do.
The continued insanity of our presidency leaves me on edge and never feeling quite safe.
Doug Ford getting elected because it’s just further proof the bad guys are winning.
So many events; there have been a few which have played out on the world stage. I do not wish to drain my energy on that. So I will talk about the event of moving interstate. It made me step up, making me life out of the light of my parents.
In addition to the daily trauma of having Trump as President and all the hate his administration perpetrates, a dear friend neighbor/friend/Mom lost her battle with pancreatic cancer. Her death robs her two boys of a mother, her adoring husband a partner, her parents a daughter, her brother a sister and countless friends. Ahe was only 46 and her loss hits so close to home for me as the mother of an almost 9 year old and as someone who lost a parent in childhood. I’m so angry at cancer, the unfairness of it. I’m heartsick for all of us that loved her. The only thing I can do is try to do is live my life to the fullest by being as healthy as I can, loving my family and friends as deeply as I can and gain the confidence I need to be a successful photographer.
Everything has impacted me this year. I’ve been an emotional wreck all year. Between women losing all the rights they fought for and little Greta being the face of climate change.
The state of the world is so chaotic! It's an ongoing mess, and the key players are inexcusable. I no longer debate the topic of the day or any other crisis. This has emphasized to me that only Hashem is my/ our source. This has given me peace of mind.
I want to talk about what I feel like as a Jew in the world right now. I'm embarrassed and ashamed of some of my fellow Jews. It keeps getting worse and worse. Did we survive one of the worst atrocities of the 20th century simply to become hypocrites of the highest order?
Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation to the Supreme Court. It triggered my trauma symptoms and made it really hard for me to go about my daily life. But I am working on it.
Trump Trump and more Trump....eeeeeeeyewwww!
The focus on climate change in the 2020 elections and generally in the news has been even more disconcerting to me than the many actions the Trump administration has taken over the last year with which I disagree. It's so clear that our planet is on a disastrous path without significant, quick action. I worry about my children's adult years and wonder how their lives and decisions will be impacted. Will they have kids of their own if the Earth is no longer expected to be inhabitable for another 100 years? Will they be safe still living on the coast? Will they have enough money and resources to protect themselves and their families? For most of these questions, a year feels like enough distance for things to have changed, but not so much with this question. Sadly, I think we will be in the same spot a year from now as we are currently, just with one less year to make changes before it's too late.
Donald Trumps evil and callous immigration policies and detention centers have upset me so much some days I can barely function. To see people suffering and know there is nothing I can do. To see government institutions acting with cruelty and zero oversight. What can we do? What can I do? It’s like all anyone can say is “Vote Blue!” But that can’t possibly be the answer. Because we are over a year away from that election and more months from a new government IF we succeed. And meanwhile children are suffering, babies. Human beings. It’s horrific and yet somehow I’m expected to eat three meals a day and work full time like everything is fine. I feel like I’m drowning.
Election of Jason Kenny as Alberta Premier. Incredulity, dismay, fear.
An event in the world! A bit like last year, I really wish that my answer to this was stronger; I wish that I could say that when x atrocity happened, I finally leapt into action. I've remained just as passive as I did the year before, with the exception of having added a recurring Elizabeth Warren donation. By this time next year, we will know whether she's our candidate or not, and I am slowly allowing myself to open up to the hope that she really could be our next president. This scares me! But there have been so many horrors, most especially the crisis at the border, but also mass shootings left and right, including Squirrel Hill and Tree of Life. Right now, the impeachment inquiry is underway, but I have little hope that it will actually change things for the better. As I reflected on my 2018 answers, and as I set vernal equinox intentions, I do feel ready to figure out how and where I want to put my time and energy in terms of social justice. I feel so jaded by some of the activism during my time in college that it feels hard to know what actually matters, and what is actually useful. I'm trying to think if there are media or cultural things that feel like they impacted me in the past year, just to feel like the outside world had any bearing on my actual life. My instinct is honestly just to write about Fleabag, and thinking so much about my own performativity and love and unavailable people! I just stalked my own twitter to see if I felt like I was missing anything crucial, and I really don't. It feels like a year that was very-- internal? A lot of personal change and growth, but oddly not tied to the year in question.
The Tree of Life Synagogue Massacre. It brings home how things can change on a dime I worry about my safety, my family's safety and the state of the world. Antisemitism is always present just under the surface but it always seemed arms length away. Not any more. White nationalism is thriving -and I wonder why. Where does this hate come from and I ask how can we address it. I hope I can stand up against it.
Brexit - it has undermined my faith in democratic institutions because I see that so much has depended on unwritten rules that can be broken by those who have no sense of history or of personal honour.
There have been a lot of scary and terrible things. Children at the border in cages, not getting the most basic things. I don't know the answer to immigration as we seem not capable or equipped to take care of the people who are already here but that surely isn't it. Children being separated from their parents and not being kept track of. Just beyond. Too many shootings. Driving so far to shoot people. It's so hard to understand the cruelty that seems rampant right now.
The HK protests-- realizing there are two sides to the issue when I previously only saw one.
I was diagnosed with breast cancer earlier this year. While it was caught early, each case is unique and there are no black and white answers, only shades of gray. Based on this, the diagnosis has made me take a look at how I am living my life and to think about how I want to live my life moving ahead.
Trump. Children in cages on the border. Rolling back environmental and protective standards in the US. The unbelievable garbage emanating from DC. Worst: having to explain this all to my curious and intelligent 4 year old.
Well, it's the Trump Dump! The horrible mess the country is in, and the really embarrassing profusion of duplicity, stupidity, lying, and outright shit that this president has dumped on the people - young and old, rich and poor (but mostly poor), native born, immigrant, and other!! It's made every day a challenge, but the one good thing that's come of it, it's encouraged me to go news-free, at least for a day or two at a time.
Trump continued as president, somehow. He has yet to be impeached, and this has completely flipped the way that I have interacted with national politics and news. Climate change continues to be in the headlines, children were detained at the boarder in cages, police continue to shoot black men in the street. One positive event was some awesome city council elections in 2019. Candi CeDebaca was elected and took the space of Albus Brooks. Metro Caring entered the world of community organizing. This is reminding me of the importance of participation. How do we find out role? How do we invite others to find theirs? I will say that I drove less, but when I did drive it was in a massive truck. I will say I ate less meat, but I flew on 7 international flights. I will say that I voted, but I skipped a vote for mayor. Still determining my role, especially as I have moved away from a community I know for this year.
I honestly can't think of a single event. I've purposely focused only on what's nearby because the bigger things are a repeating loop that doesn't ever change. Nothing happens, it's just arrogant people doing their thing, and I have to focus on making it through day to day because that's hard enough already.
Increases in antisemitic violence and income disparity have caused me to feel less secure in the world. Synagogues, including ours, have heightened security procedures which is a reminder of the likelihood, however small, of an attack on our community. The rise in number of homeless, the frequency of burglaries and robberies in our neighborhood also undermine my sense of safety and security.
I am sorry to self quote but exactly as last year "OMG Trump, Korea, Trump Russia, Trump Iran, Trump immigration, Trump the mid east, Trump trump trump. He is the scariest phenome ever - the resemblances to Hitler and his followers shakes me to the core. Please g-d that democracy does not die in this darkness that he has brought to the world" exactly as last year but even worse.... it just keeps getting worse!
I continue to be impacted by acts of gun violence, hatred, and antisemitism in our country and am moved to take action in any way I can. I am also paying attention to the Democratic primaries and to the misdeeds of our horrific president. It is interesting to watch the ways different countries are reacting to the misbehavior and ill motives of their politicians (cf. Boris Johnson's pro-roguement and the UK Supreme Court's rebuke).
The international climate marches. Seeing people come together to say "this is NOT ok, we want change" was really powerful and inspiring.
Any disgusting thing Trump does. He deserves to be impeached for his conversation with President Zelensky. But he’s done so many other things not befitting a president or illegal or immoral. I hate the way he thinks if he says something enough it is true. It isn’t but his base believes it. It scares me for our democracy.
No single event comes to mind, but the endless unwinding catastrophe in our government affects me continuously. Following the news of it distracts me from more productive things I should be doing, but it feels irresponsible not to remain informed. After the 2016 election, my husband wanted to begin a process of emigrating to Ireland. I resisted the idea, weary of long-distance moves after living in five states in 10 years. We don't belong to any of the groups under threat from this administration, and I believed it was our duty to stay and do what we could to resist. Flawed though it may be, this is my country, and I won't cede it to fascists. As the undermining of our institutions has continued, I've had moments where I reconsidered my position and thought maybe he was right. I still hold out hope that there are enough people willing to do the right thing to save our country. But I'm worried there will be violence before this is over.
Antisemitism and killing of Jews at the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburg. It made me fearful about freedom of religion in America and gathering together for prayer in a formerly safe place. Now, we have security guards for Shabbat and holidays and special keys for entrance to minyan services.
Trump has said and done many things I find unconscionable and now impeachment is beginning. The country is so divided I fear what will happen to the sense of being an American
This year the amazon forest fire (that occur every year to create space for animal agriculture) got out of control and got a lot of worldwide publicity. It was really good to see so many people concerned about ‘the lungs of the planet’ but to me it seemed like as soon as people learned it was to create space for animal agriculture they didn’t want to know about it anymore. Not long after, we had some wild bushfires on the Gold Coast and northern NSW. I couldn’t help but think back to the amazon fires and draw a link. So many people were so worried about both of these fires but would go and eat a steak for their next meal. This arguably hypocritical behavior baffles me.
The Pittsburgh shooting, without a doubt. It made abundantly clear how scary the world is right now, especially for Jews. It also gave me a sense of hope, through seeing how many people came together in the days following. But the number of times in the past year, starting with that, that I've been to an interfaith event, to mourn a tragedy against 1 group and stand together is way too high. We keep having the conversation of needing to get together as an interfaith community in good times. And yet, there keep being more and more tragedies and attacks.
Again, no single world event - just lots more of the world careening toward catastrophe. I try not to think about it too much, but of course it’s often in my face and tough to avoid.
With 24-hour news, it's so hard to imagine what has been this year and what has been longer ago. Everything seems far ago. Soooo much happens all the time. Here's the first thing that comes to mind: Because it's constantly on the news cycle now, I think about the current clamoring for the Democratic nomination. And mostly it's disheartening. Joe Biden and his grabby hands are still leading in the polls. Julián Castro is called an ageist in spite of Biden's suuuper racist comments, billionaire Tom Steyer buys his way in real fast in spite of the super qualified and experienced people of color who have been grinding to vie for that seat. And we still think we're better than Trump. I'm not sure if this impacts me directly, but it sure as hell makes me cynical of electoral change, and perhaps even social change at that level in general.
Synagogue shootings, upset me a great deal and severely impacted my youngest child's ability to feel safe in the world.
Almost exactly a solar year ago, but after YK on the lunar calendar, Brett Kavanaugh was allowed to become a supreme court justice, despite likely having abused women earlier in life. This was absolutely disheartening, reinforcing just how little society trusts the word of women and how little it cares about their experiences.
All the hate crimes. It gave me stronger conviction in what I believed but also has allowed me to be very open and accepting of others. Having to defend my beliefs in order to keep my job AGAIN has given me the calm and peace to know that I am a good person with sound morals.
Though I have not paid close attention to the news or specific issues I feel deeply troubled and saddened by the immigration issues that are separating babies and children from their mothers. It is unfashionable to me and yet it is happening. Why? Sometimes when I hold my Children and baby I think about it and my emotions well up. It’s a horrible thing that my government is doing
There is so much homelessness and Opioid Addiction issues. Trump keeps acting like a fool and undoing some of the great things previous presidents have done, particularly Obama. Natural Disasters are ever increasing. Devastating Hurricanes and Earthquakes in the Caribbean, Tsunamis and wildfires War is about to break out with N. Korea or Russia Things are crazy and the cost of living is so high right now. I try not to think much about it. I pray, but I dont dwell. I know the end is near.
The Christchurch massacre. As an Australian, I witness shootings in America with a sense of utter incomprehension as to why gun control is still not enacted there - and thus a sense that it is a uniquely American problem. However, the NZ shooting was much closer to home and perpetrated by an Australian gunman. While our shuls have had security for a long time, and Australia's gun laws are very strict, it was a reminder that there are people out there who wish to harm religious minorities and who may have access to the means to do so.
The Tree of Life shooting. I had multiple family members, friends, and colleagues who were personally impacted by this tragedy. The Shabbat following the tragedy was also the yarzheit of my cousin, who passed away from AIDS-related complications in 2012. In a time of tragedy, it brought a bit of peace and healing that was so needed.
The shootings at Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh and those at other houses of worship (Poway Chabad, Christchurch mosques, etc.) have had a strong impact on me. As I move toward a life of religious leadership I am ever more aware of the ways in which religion has become a target, and Jews in particular perhaps even more so. Yet I feel strongly that we can't allow the actions of a few sick terrorists have an influence on how we live our lives. So I continue, do my best, knowing that there may well be a target on my back -- and that the size of the target may grow, the deeper I go into my learning.
The shooting at the Tree of Life synagogue impacted me both personally and professionally. I found myself trying to reassure others while also feeling fear. And above all it made me profoundly sad.
That bastard Trump - it's always all about that fucking son of a bitch. I hope he rots in hell.
I started to answer this about climate change, but I am going to reach a bit deeper and say that this has been the year of the over-sensitivity movement. Everyone and their mother literally is sensitive to and offended about everything, and it is truly impossible anymore to be "P.C." because there is no such thing. For everything that seems super liberal, there is yet another level, and I told a friend the other day that to be a plain old lesbian now is so boring because everyone is non-binary pansexual or something else. I find this annoying, and maybe I am sounding like my parents' generation now, but I feel like youth around the world are frankly bored and lazy and feel empowered by inventing identities and situations that can place someone else in the position of feeling uncomfortable and having to cater to a new level of sensitivity. I really hope that this rebounds back to some basics because we are missing many global forests for these whiny trees.
The backlash to #MeToo has been sobering. Last year I was feeling so filled with purpose because of my co-chairmanship of my high school's Sexual Misconduct Prevention Committee, but all of our attempts at creating change were stymied and they seem to have been stymied yet again this year - despite a complete change of administration. Maybe sobering doesn't describe it. Maybe depressing does.
The upswing in kids getting really active for climate, gun control, etc has been really uplifting. At the same time, the “adults” in the world seem to be devolving. I feel like a silent family member watching the war happen and preparing for the worst.
Something that has become increasingly distressing has been the increase in or increase in visibility of massive gun violence and deaths. The world just keeps getting more and more angry and more and more dangerous, and it doesn't seem like anyone in the US wants to do anything about it. Places like religious houses, schools, hospitals--they should be safe. People shouldn't fear being shot at a concert or while seeing a movie. Women's rights are continually being stripped. While I may never need/want an abortion, there are so many women who DO or WILL and deserve to have that choice. It's sick that an unborn human has more rights or humanity than the woman hosting them or children who already exist. Perhaps we should consider helping the single mothers who already exist and the children who live in poverty or in the fear of going to school because they'll be shot.
The continued perfidy of President Trump is almost beyond belief. The possible normalization of so many abhorrent behaviors is frightening. I march and organize, I raise wise and empathetic children - I just don't feel like it's enough. I don't know what more to do, but what I am doing isn't enough.
Trump remains an American tragedy, he continues to behave badly and the Republican Party is too weak to stand up to his treachery. Climate change, the hurricanes that have devastated our world and the melting of the ice shelves is an ongoing event that will be the end of us. The climate change marches are wonderful, the world needs to stand against the short sighted politicians who only care about how deep their pockets can be filled. Lindsey Graham and Rudy Guliani must be eliminated along with Trump. There is no one event, so many people with dark harmful hurtful intentions. I do think more and more we need another great flood, we have failed as a species. There is no other option except to start over.
The world is kind of cold and dark right now. So much antisemitism, so much division, so many issues. Truly believe the next year is going to be a difficult year. I do not know if Drumpf will get his come-uppance or if we are going towards 4 more years of shit. Fuck 45.
Pittsburgh Synagogue shooting... I hadn't know that it had happened until my mom called asking if I had heard... I was already feeling lonely and depressed at this point in my life and the news was devastating... there's still so much fear and hatred in the world and it's scary to know that despite not knowing who you are as an individual someone could hate you so much that they want to kill you for no other reason than you are alive.
An event? So many, too many, so much climate chaos, so many people suffering, stupid wars & power plays by egoic despots, rainforests burning, storms, all needless. "When will they ever learn..." I honor the youth climate strikers, Extinction Rebellion, and the like. My they blossom all around the world so it's clear where all the flowers have gone.
the Kavanaugh confirmation hearings really dredged up all my feelings about my sister who was sexually assualted more than once in her life. It also made me think about "that guy" we all avoided in high school. The more I think about it the more it angers me how sexually assault victims are treated. It makes me want to do anything I can to get Senator Elizabeth Warren elected to President.
The way things are in America right now: all the school and synagogue shootings, the president, all the anger. It really gets to me. There's nothing I can do about it. I also feel like I've stepped away from it by taking a job where all I do is write about food. My friend says it could be a restorative time. But it's hard to feel any kind of rest right now. I am so tired.
Mass shootings. I am so disappointed in our government because they are doing nothing to address this crisis in our country. Their inaction speaks volumes about the fact that money from the firearms industry is much more important to lawmakers than the lives of Americans.
The only one I can think of is the rise of the Sunrise Movement and the Climate Strikes. It's shifted my thinking about global warming from another issue to a global catastrophe. I suppose I always understood that the consequences would be catastrophic if left unaddressed, but the recent action around it has made me realize how quickly we need to act. It's partially due to a reframing of the debate - "climate crisis" vs "climate change" - but it's also due to increasingly dire reports by scientists and a continued lack of meaningful action by politicians and world leaders. This action has actually made me less hopeful. It's made me proud of my generation, to be sure, but the lack of action from people in power has only made me realize how long it would take to get meaningful action, if ever. I've also begun to come to terms with just how much we need to revamp our society; I've gotten better at noticing every time we use energy, plastics, water, etc. This has made the whole effort feel kind of hopeless and impossibly urgent.
The issue of peace in Colombia and members of the guerilla returning to fight has been frustrating, scary and disheartening. It has also made me think about all that I am not doing. I am in a position of privilege here in Colombia and have not found a way to truly connect to development and the role of education for those most in need.
Greta Thunberg fighting for climate justice and having science lead the way. I want to make individual level decisions to have a better future and also larger public impact on climate.
I honestly don't feel like answering this questions because I no longer care. As harsh as that may seem, I must learn to take care of myself than to focus on what's happening to the world.
I would say that seeing so much violence and the racism that has unleashed in our country. The insecurity that some human beings are living is unfair. No human being should feel inferior of another human being for any reason. Borders, social classes, race and any other label has been placed to segregate and discriminate one being from another. God placed us in this world to love one another to live prosperous and happy lives learning and working together.
I’m not really sure. But there has been a big push against climate change and taking action to try and stop it. i’m not too sure if i really believe it’s real or not. however, it has caused me to be a bit more self aware just in case. i think we are creating way too much unnecessary waste so i’m trying to cut down on how much trash i produce.
All events blur together now. At least all "events in the world." They are governed by the bizarre trauma, anxiety, and madness of Trump. I am literally writing this in the midst of the most recent (and maybe finally last*) Trump scandal. Here's the Ukraine scandal, which I'm hoping my future self will recognize as a moment of incandescent infamy, a bright dividing line (despite the fact that EVERY OTHER THING THIS PRESIDENT HAS DONE SHOULD HAVE BEEN A DIVIDING LINE). So our life under Trump has been a continual rolling event. This seems a little different though, in the sense that maybe this is too much, for some. We'll see. I'm feeling marginally more hopeful. I don't know. If I'm in gulag next year when this is released to me, I guess I'll know that my tiny optimism was unwarranted. HA! HA! Jokes on you! (sob)
There hasn't been a specific world event that has impacted me very much. Mostly because I live most of my life worried about myself. If I did have to choose a general world event, I would say the current state of politics. Watching our country become more and more corrupt has me fearful for our future.
So many awful things, but one good thing to come out of them was the way the community came together after the Tree of Life Synagogue shooting in Pittsburgh. I loved how many people turned out in solidarity for people they'd never met. The most powerful moment for me was when religious leaders from many different religions shared the stage for a song/prayer. I started bawling, but in a good way.
I learned about SB19. I'm proud of them as the first ppop idol.
Though it's a very recent happening, watching Donald Trump undergo impeachment inquiries is fucking awesome. Even if I didn't hate him with every fiber of my being, it's very cool to watch from a historical perspective - this is the kind of thing I'm going to get to tell my grandchildren about. Love it or hate it, we're watching history unfold in real-time. I was 2 years old when 9/11 happened and was therefore too young to properly remember it, so this is kind of the first significant political/historical event I'm witnessing. Like this is a history textbook type thing. This is our first Watergate, our first big political scandal within my lifetime, and it's a hell of a dumpster fire. I can't pull my eyes away.
The instability in the markets has me concerned about the economy and where we are headed. We continue to work through each of these moments where the indicators go negative, but I'm starting to be concerned that a recession is coming. That makes me concerned about our business, and therefore about our personal spending and plans.
My final sentence from last year was, "It is a troubling time to be an American." Yes, still is. The impeachment hearings have recently begun. The presidential election campaign is starting and I am not ready to pay attention. I read a book about not long ago about what it is to be in a country that a person needs to flee from. I live in relative peace and safety and should have nothing to complain about. So I try to remain positive and remember how privileged I am.
The Tree of Life Synagogue shooting in Pittsburgh in October 2018. It was 6 months after my conversion and made me see for the first time how my choice of religion could be dangerous. I realized that by simply following my path that some people I have never met hate me for existing. How can that be? It also showed me the resilience of Jews and the outpouring of love and support that surrounds our community. I struggle to see both the hate and the hope at times.
The mass shootings The rise of suicide The incompetent president Why can’t people just be kind? Why can’t people just love themselves and each other ? Why hasn’t gun laws changed since parkland ? Enough is enough.
Global warming. Mother Nature is complaining, and I don’t know if we are listening
Honetly, it's pretty close to my answer from last year. Just ongoing abuses of power and erosion of rights for marginalized groups in this country continue to sicken me. It's not one event, it's everything as a collective
Shootings shootings and more shootings. Schools, festivals, workplaces, malls. Movie theaters, Kmarts, at home preparing to eat ice cream. It’s not one singular event, it’s more that they all are starting to morph into one hideous amalgam of blood, death and bullets and the day to day experience of preparing for it to materialize before my eyes at any purely random point in time.
Donald Trump ... pick a day. His continued assault on the constitution and democracy for self serving purposes is offensive but not as concerning as the millions of Americans that condone and even embrace his conduct. I am deeply saddened and depressed by the current state of affairs in the US. I fear we will not recover from our selfish nationalism and our current civilization may perish from lack of compassion for human life and the planet earth.
The further delusion of gender confusion. It has made me see how desperately the world needs to know Jesus and the love of the Father.
The climate strike, and the increasing and damning reports about climate change. I feel increasingly like I can't sit on the sidelines anymore. I don't know what to do about it, but I'm at least not ignoring the problem as someone else's work anymore.
Oh my... just one? Well, most recently was the climate strike. It felt like a culmination of what I had been working my life for: climate advocacy. It was triggering and empowering and hopeful all in the same fell swoop. It made me think that despite being in good company, the actions I alone make are minuscule and meaningless. It impacted me in such a way because environmental advocacy is my raison d’être. In any case, I’m so glad I was able to make the event, even with a cold. I’m also so glad I continued to mobilize after it.
Every man-made crisis, very man-induced catastrophic event that causes irreparable harm and suffering to countless helpless beings is like an emotional blow to my psyche.
Last year's massacre at the Tree of Life in Squirrel Hill. I'm still shook up from it, though the fear has receded into the hum of everyday, low-level grief and sadness. How fucking sad and hopeless it felt. How bereft, how close to it and how far from it I felt. How wicked are the devils that have been loosed. White nationalism, gun violence, the stochastic terrorism of President Trump. It's a nightmare that won't end, even when -- mirtseshem -- he's removed from office. So much of the world is sliding into rightist ethno-nationalist populism, of which anti-Semitism is an integral part. But in other countries firearms are not so easily available. In Poland or Hungary the rage of white men isn't perpetually threatening to boil over into mass murder (Israel may be another story...). The two mass murders in the US, while Sarah and I were in Warsaw, seemed like an awful but distant nightmare, and then we returned home. I felt far more scared for my safety after returning to Washington State than I did at any time in Poland.
I guess climate change. Really made me think about how fucked we are in the near future if we don't do something now. And yes efforts from our part are important but it's very frustrating that it won't do any good if major industries' pollution isn't controlled. Seeing people like Greta Thunberg meet with world leaders isn't really the best thing cause it's so sad a young girl has to do things like these instead of enjoying her life. Hopefully we have some good news this year.
The #me too movement has had a great impact. My daughter was horribly sexually abused by her grandfather over 30 years ago. She recalled this abuse after regression hypnosis after years of PSTD. We could not have him arrested and tried because no one would believe a fragile girl who was suffering from eating disorders, anxiety and self-harm. She could have been spared so much distress if the way women were treated then was the way it is now. Even so, many men are still getting away with abusing women. It is so wrong.
Pittsburgh is the easy answer here, but I’ve already talked about that elsewhere. I think coming to Yale and seeing the protest culture has changed my views on protesting and my political opinions. Protesting can be a really effective tool to advocate for yourself when you are downtrodden and are being harmed in someway shape or form. I think the article written last week, even with its right wing skew, talking about protester derangement syndrome wraps it up pretty well. The protests around the police shooting, Puerto Rican debt, and ER&M seemed theatrical. I fear I am becoming conservative out of negation of liberal values rather than belief and conservatism. Defining yourself through what you aren’t isn’t a great way of living. I want my political views not to be that other people are stupid but that my own views are reflective of the way I see the world.
There continue to be mass shootings. Donald Trump is still President, though - finally! - impeachment proceedings are beginning. Brett fucking Kavanaugh was voted into the Supreme Court. Israel continues to occupy Palestine with no 2-state solution being enacted. We are continuing to see and feel the impacts of global climate change. I'm impacted by all of this and none of this. I can feel the terror, the horror, the fear. I can also continue to be in a bubble of Now, of Near Future, of ostrich head in the sand. For how much longer?
I became an orphan. Which is a weird thing to say as a married adult 44-year-old, but there it is: my parents are no longer living. They died, nearly together, and we buried them, and we go on, and they don't. I knew intellectually that this was a thing that happened, but I'm still not sure the emotional part of it has settled into me yet.
The latest scandal about President Pinocchio. I am feeling like our Republic is in danger of devolving into a banana republic. It makes me feel a little unstable. At the same time I am willing to do what I can to preserve our humanity and have not lost hope. I believe in redemption.
Hard to believe that my answer is actually about politics! Trump's behavior this year has been so aggregious and pathologically warped that I have to admit that I am following politics for the first time in my life (and I'm no spring chicken!). It's upsetting, interesting, informative and very, very scary to have a Commander in Chief who is a global embarassment (at best) and a lying, mysogonistic, narcissistic and very unbalanced egomaniac. He makes stuff up on the spot and then talks himself (and his 'drink the coolade' followers) into believing it's real. He's a bully and a role model for what an "ugly American" 'looks' like. I travel the world and hear comments (never positive or flattering) about Trump and the state of US politics. He's taken away national parkland, allowed fracking, stirred up the coal industry, denies global warming, and is bigoted and prejudiced against anyone who is an immigrant with darker skin color. This is NOT the American way.
The Camp fire in Paradise that basically wiped that town off the map and killed 85 people blew my mind. I went on a trail ride by myself that morning out in the bleached dry hills around Martinez. And I thought that I should just be alert to the smell in the air. I didn't think it likely that I would get caught in a fire, but it was on my mind. I rode out away from the barn for about an hour and then I started smelling the smoke. I turned the horse around and saw that the air in the valley behind me looked hazier. That hazy air turned out to be the leading edge of the plume of smoke that would hang over the Bay Area for two weeks. The fire was not close, but the air currents were such that the smoke was wiped across the state and right into the Bay Area. And then I started listening to the news and it was awful. People burned alive as they were trying to escape a fire that just suddenly roared to life around them. It was apocolyptic and I think it was what finally allowed me to delve into the details of the latest thinking on climate change and to begin to really wrestle with the reality of living in a highly unstable climate. Now I can't seem to turn away.
Honestly, it’s been such a big year personally that I’d have trouble answering to world events. To pick two though, I’d point to the escalating gun violence in the US and the leadership the youth have shown. It’s inspiring on the one hand, and infuriating on the other - that these adults are so desperate to keep their guns that they will literally traumatise small children as the price they pay. The other would be in a similar vein and relates to the climate. It feels like this groundswell of activity from young people around the world is finally what might trigger some change? Dog know nothing else has. I think overall it just feels like we’re at a point in the world where lines are being drawn and things are being pulled into sharper relief. Can only hope that it’s a tipping point, really.
Hard to avoid the latest Trump debacle -- we are in the middle of the start of the beginning of the impeachment investigation -- with no idea how it will go. I think my students and the culture in general is Trump fatigued, Trump outraged & Trump confused. We keep thinking it can't get worse - and it does. Demoralizing in a profound way.
wow - where to start - how many crazy things can come out of the federal government... children in cages seem to top the list
It’s more like a collective movement of events that have impacted me. It’s one of sacred feminine and inclusivity. All of the women from various backgrounds and beliefs who are now a part of congress. The shift from patriarchy to matriarchy. The wrongs being “righted,” after many years coming in some cases. It’s like a slow but steady drum beat. And in all of this is great upheaval, chaos, egoic personas clinging to all they know out of deep-seated fears and entitlements. It’s painful, but necessary. This shift and progressive change we are all seeing.
The Camp Fire. In addition to the destruction on site, it created uncertainty around power--under the right conditions, any California area will have power turned off to prevent wildfire from electrical sparks. In addition, we lived through two weeks of the worst air in the world. It was near Thanksgiving; we fled the state early. But we knew that we were leaving behind everyone who could not afford to leave. Bad air and climate change most affect the poorest in our societies. We have to fix this.
Brexit is still a big issue for us, although our residency in Italy is solid, so from an immigration standpoint we're OK. I think politics, in general, have been crazy this year. The US economy is booming, but many people hate the president, so I think the next election is going to be a year-long bloodbath. Americans are more divisive than ever and it hurts to be watching it from afar. The strange issues with the elections in Italy haven't really affected us direction (at least not yet), but it has the country in a bit of a stir. And of course, unrest continues in the middle east and among the Muslim immigrants. It feels like a really crazy time to be alive, and it will be interesting to see what the next year brings.
I cant say that there was a world event that affected or changed me. I don't follow the news or politics all that much. I prefer to focus on doing the inner work and immersing myself in what I can control or change. The most impactful this that affected me was going to an event ( Kyle Cease Evolving out loud) at the Dolby theatre last June. Becoming a part of that community and following the work of Kyle has profoundly changed my life.
I wish I could say it was a "specific" mass shooting in the US. There were so many this year - Wikipedia says there were 334 shootings and 377 gun deaths. It's horrific. The El Paso shooting that killed 22 innocent people in a Wal-Mart was allegedly "anti-immigration" related, which makes it even more sickening. What is this America? What is this place, built on immigrants, freedom, and hope, that is now succumbing near-daily to xenophobia, terror, and fear? I am lucky enough to have expatriated nearly five years ago, "sparing" me thousands of potential gun violence incidents because I live in a place where handguns are illegal for civilians (as they OBVIOUSLY and ALWAYS should be). That doesn't mean I am spared the constant worry for my parents, brother, and niece, every time I hear about one of these awful and completely preventable horrors.
The 2 rounds of Israeli elections. How? well I ran the English department for Otzmah Yehudit party and became a candidate for the party. Its been a crazy year involved in policts something i never really excepted my self to be involved in
CLIMATE CHANGE is on everyone's mind this year. And boy, is it a wild ride. The extinction rebellion was in march, the world climate march was last month, and just on those heels - another rebellion has sprung forth. I am going to be joining them on October 7th and I can't wait. Hopefully it is as exciting and transformative as I wish it to be. I joined a hula hooping rebels group and we will be doing a flash mob and performing/roaming/freestyling. There is also a medical professionals' group, a "burning earth" group, and a Jewish group that I feel connected to and would like to visit. I would like to go camping as well, if it works out. I don't want to get arrested and I dearly hope that I don't. It feels a bit risky, but I am so invested in this I hope it pays off. I have been searching for something to ease my pain. Hopefully participating in this will be empowering.
Greta Thunberg’s speech at the UN Climate Change summit blew me away with its ferocity. This young woman spoke for many of her generation when she said we had stolen her childhood and her dreams. We have to listen. We have to change. I’m already working out ways to look after our planet better. It’s not easy when it takes up so much of our energy, resources and time.
Haha, can I say the passing of the farm bill? It's just really changed so many things about my career and what replennabis will be or what abacus will be. I cant wait to see what next year brings!
I have become much more aware of climate action this year. Where I used to argue "I only care about humans", this is so clearly an issue that fits into this rubric. While it has been easy to feel powerless, the contemporary climate movement has been unparalleled in making people feel relevant, and it has been truly empowering for me to watch and learn.
The reality of people living in this world dealing with homelessness, addiction, etc., saddens me. I want to live each day shining the light of Jesus in this world to all that I encounter, and remain consciously thankful of my blessings.
The entrenchment and establishment of concentration camps for immigrants in the US. I think it's been so easy these past few years to shout down comparisons of today's fascism to Nazi Germany because people feel that something about the Holocaust is sacred, untouchable, even though our mantra is Never Again and that is one that IMPLIES action. It implies caring and steps taken to prevent not only our people but any other people from experiencing the same. It horrifies me that so many people who have made that phrase their religion sit silently or criticize its use, and I am filled with love and awe for all of those who've been critical in organizing action in opposition to the camps.
Most of the world events are not directly impacting me, but the constant barrage of negative information about Trump and the environment does result in a lot of stress.
This is a hard one, there's so much that has gone on. Natural disasters, wars, murders, Brexit. There are so many things going on that are depressing. Then there are the small individual things that people do that bring hope and joy.
Visiting Israel for the first time. I didn’t expect it to have such an impact on me. It was incredible being somewhere with the majority being Jewish. On Shabbat time just stops. It was so different than anything else I had experienced.
There was a mass shooting in the city we live in. It was just a few blocks from the bar my husband and I used to own. Fortunately no one we knew was involved, but friends of ours had friends that were. Our city is now part of the statistic. We are now included in the list of cities that have had mass shootings. We can no longer say, well that type of thing wouldn't happen here. At this time, in this country, I don't know that anyone can say that anymore. It can happen anywhere. We are country divided on so many issues, and the issues of gun control is a biggie. But there has to be a change. Not all mentally ill people are going to shoot someone, and not all gun owners want to harm others. I don't believe you have to be mentally ill to be a mass shooter, but there are those people that have mental illness and had they not had access to these weapons, things may have been different ... people would still be alive. Addressing mental health issues is part of the problem. Addressing the hate being spewed from the highest office in the land is part of the problem. Access to these weapons is part of the problem. It is not a singular thing that has to be changed to help stop what is happening in our country. But something had to be done. I support the 2nd Amendment and right for this country's citizens to bear arms. But we no longer are forming well armed militias out of ordinary citizens. No one is going door to door asking people to gather up their guns and join the fight. In this day in age the right to bear arms is more about protecting yourself, your home and your family. Why does anyone need to own an assault style weapon to be able to do that.
Well...it seems like the news is so in our face right now that it's hard not to feel personally impacted by the news. Or outraged. There's a horrible person living in our White House right now and each day brings with it a "Let's see what awful thing he's done today" feeling with it. I long for the day when he's gone. But I worry that the divide he's helped generate will impact us for years to come. Is there a single event? Probably not. There are mass shootings and I'm impacted. There's an outrageous case that comes to light where someone molested dozens or 100s of children and I'm impacted. There's a major disaster that causes great amounts of damage and I feel impacted.
I was impacted positively by the election of so many diverse women to the House of Representatives. Their youth and progressive politics give me hope that this mess can be turned around. On the negative side, the separation of migrant children from their parents and the horrific treatment of all immigrants at the border breaks my heart. As a mother I can’t imagine the grief and terror this causes those parents and the lasting damage it inflicts on the children.
The massacre at the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh was a wake up call to how tenuous Jewish life is in this country. The despicable scum who committed this heinous and cowardly attack should rot in hell, along with all others who are like him. It is a scary time to be Jewish in this country, which is not something I ever thought I would feel. Last night I attended an active shooter training at my synagogue, and the trainer said he expects that we'll see a lot more mass shootings. What a sick fucking world we live in.
The shooting at the Tree of Life Synagogue. It made me realize how Jews are still the targets and that even when I go to services, I’m not safe.
Super Bowl LII triggered a self-reflection I had never undergone before in my life. Yep, this may sound like a cliche new england Barstool Sports infatuated teenager who is attempting to write his homework on the New England Patriots, however, it is not. The New England Patriots are one of my favorite elements that life has to offer me. Every Sunday afternoon from September to the beginning of February I grab a seat on my luxurious couch and spend three hours with the substitute for satisfaction known as the National Football League. The Patriots do not affect my life in anyway, but you better believe that when the Patriots win I am ecstatic and when they lose I am devastated. When the Patriots defeated the Los Angeles Rams in Super Bowl LIII the past year, I savored every moment. I enjoyed the game with my best friends, went to the parade for the first time and rode the Patriots victory as a high for weeks. But in that span of about a month there was a particular moment where a switch turned in my head. I came across a basic realization that I had never really materialized before. Tom Brady provided me with a spark. I was thinking how lucky I was to grow up with “The GOAT” all my life. Seventeen years on this Earth and Tom Brady is one of a few constants that has remained consistent in my life. But my obsession with “The Goat” molded a new thought in my mind. What am I really lucky for? I thought of the classic “food because kids in Africa are starving”example but that did not suffice my quench. What was I really lucky for? For starters, I go to a private school, live in a nice house, have great friends and a family who loves me. The driving force behind all of these factors is having people who care for me. That is what I am most lucky for in my life. I would not have come as far as I have without the amount of people who have been by my side. Wether it be my family, friends, teachers or coaches, my success today is due to the people who have always been by my side. I would have never thought that the New England Patriots winning the Super Bowl would trigger this reaction.
Climate change, it scares me so much and gives me a little bit of anxiety. The world seems to be falling apart. A positive thing on my mind recently is Amber Guyger being accused of murdering Botham Jean, it feels good when justice is finally served.
An event that has impacted me this year is the hurricane, Dorian. it was very deadly for the people in Bahamas and i feel it changed a lot of lives.
The Amazon river. As a Brazilian citizen, it was very annoying and frustrating to see media putting the story out there but they always changed things that weren't right. Especially the president of France not telling the whole story. The Amazon river started because of a reason and if people don't know what reason it was don't go around telling people your lies.
An impeachment inquiry was finally opened
Learning about the conditions in migrant camps, especially those that children must endure, had a huge impact on me. I've been writing about it, but nothing I've posted yet. It feels like watching the holocaust happen. It feels like I should be taking drastic action to stop it, but all I do is write about it. I feel like I don't know how to do something that would really change the situation, so I just sit here and do nothing instead. Shouldn't we all be doing something about this? Standing up for these children in a better way than we are?
Trump’s presidency. It made me question what it means to be proud to be an American, especially living abroad.
The border crisis with children being separated from parents. It just shows how little caring some people have for people who are considered others. And it was upsetting because of the multiple generations of trauma it will cause and how it was not necessary at all.
Trump's horrific presidency and policies are anathema to me. Very concerned about the environment and his silencing of the scientists.
I met my brother for the first time on April 17th. It was weird. He lives in NC with his wife who is a sweetheart. I'm happy to have him in my life, but still find it hard to remember to keep in touch. I guess I have to develop new habits. :)
World events do not impact me. I choose not to let things I can't control, control me.
In the Fall of 2018 Greta Thunberg started a movement of climate crisis awareness and Extinction Rebellion outlined a path forward. We are on a countdown to a tipping point that will change the world radically if we cannot react in a timely fashion to reduce green house gas emissions.
The IPCC report on climate change. That we have less than 12 years left to avert disaster. That humanity could go extinct. That we have screwed up the world to the fullest extent and left a hostile and broken planet to future generations, if there are any. This spurred my decision to be involved in XR and to adopt.
My country is putting migrant children in cages, and my faith community is struggling with how to respond and help people who are in danger. As the year ends, this appalling, cruel government is unraveling, but I am daunted by how much damage has been done and how much we need to rebuild. We aren't the people we tell ourselves we are.
The environmental predictions are very serious concern. For young people, I think predictions of global warming and the possibility that human life could be wiped from the planet are today what the threat of nuclear war was to my childhood. However, even though there was an underlying constant fear of nuclear attack, there was a much greater confidence that it could be avoided. With regard to the environment, the will to make hard decisions to save the planet seems to be lacking. We need something like a mentality displayed during WWI and II in which almost every citizen did their part to help the effort.
This is a hard one. The world is such a shitshow right now that I think we've all become numb to some degree as a means of self-preservation. I continue to build strength and confidence around my gender and femininity and seek out ways to continue feeling empowered. Sometimes I even think about a career shift towards women's rights. I don't know that there's been a specific world event, more like a combination of all of them.
Migration. It is so sad that people do not have a home, a place to develop themselves. It is sad that their birth town has become intolerable or it does not offer anything. People risk their lives because they feel already in danger.
...and it comes back to Trump. The man's behavior and influence as president continues to astound and frighten. So many support him and encourage or at least ignore his deplorable behavior. I am encouraged by the Impeachment proceedings that have been initiated, but at the same time I am fearful that his enablers will continue to defy decency and support him, lie for him, and doom us to his continued presence in the White House.
This year, I ended my subscription to the New York Times, so my knowledge of world events has significantly diminished. It was something that I felt I had to do, partly due to cost and the small amount of time that I had to devote to the task of reading it, and partly because I felt like I knew a lot about world events but did little activism to help create even the smallest amounts of change. The biggest world event this year (aside from Trump which is still a disaster for our country and democracy) has been climate change. The reports on climate change are sobering. By 2100, half of the world's species will be extinct. There have been significantly more extreme weather events. This is the hottest year on record. I feel like our generation may be the last to know the planet as a habitable one. It think a lot about the world that my nephew will be left with.
With the rise of #metoo and Kavanaugh's confirmation I've been remembering and reframing some encounters. I thought I had just had some really bad sex! But it turns out I was assaulted! And had been trained to just accept whatever any man wanted to do to my body as his right! It's been hard to have this reckoning and not map the disrespect onto my spouse, who has never been anything but giving and compassionate and generous to me. His life is a minefield, and he tries to navigate it carefully, but it's so easy for me to feel triggered. I [thought] I used to love sex! I hate how much trepidation there is now. I need to address this baggage, for the both of us.
Hearing Christine Blaisey Ford's testimony brought back a flicker of hope that we may be moving out of darkness and repression, oh the repeated assault on women's agency over their own bodies, their thoughts and their memories once more turned against us and fought in the staked court of white male supremacy. I was re-traumatized From my own experience of date rape as a 15 year old and have worked with countless therapy clients this year who are now again revisiting their traumas. The good news is that more light is available both in the public airing of so much internalized shame and the personal validation that power and control are always a weak substitute for love and compassion. May their be more love and healing for the perpetuators and the victims of this eons old power imbalance.
I was excited to see the positive direction of US/North Korean talks to end aggression in the Korean peninsula. It's truly historic, and I hope that it comes to completion.
I cannot think of any world event that I have let impact me this year. I'm sure the current president and policies enacted in the last 12 months have greatly affected my finances but, I've not made note of it.
The big event most recently is the impeachment investigation of the president, the most corrupt in modern history. He does not understand right and wrong so cannot understand why it is wrong to enrich himself and his family using the presidency. It seems pretty obvious that the man is unfit for any office, let alone the highest office in the land. But will the Democrats mess this up completely? That seems a disturbingly high probability. The most corrupt president in modern history, whose entire life is a series of criminal acts, and yet incompetent Democrats might yet just end up using this to get him re-elected. That would be a disaster beyond belief but it is possible. Next year when I do this we should know as the elections will be very close, did they succeed in demonstrating his criminality or did they just fall on their faces?
Everything Donald Trump says and does is a mess. We're currently in the middle of the whisteblower scandal and it seems like impeachment is imminent. It's scary to have someone so unhinged in office and to feel like what's happening in government isn't being done to protect me. I worry constantly about the economy and falling home prices. I worry about being blown up by another country because Trump and his administration can't take anything seriously. I feel like I used to be very careful to always care for the least among us, but as the country devolves, I find myself more and more focused on me and my family and how I can protect us. It doesn't make me feel good, but I don't know what else to do. I guess I'm not as strong as I always thought I was.
Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation to the Supreme Court coupled with the #metoo movement forced me to confront a lot of feelings I had suppressed around my rape and other sexual experiences from my past. I found myself filled with anger, guilt, fear and shame that the world does not feel like a safer place for my daughters yet. I questioned if the way I faced (or did not face) these issues made me complicit in the culture that allows Kavanaugh, and men like him, to continue to succeed while never being held accountable for their actions. The #metoo movement gives me hope as it lifts the veil of shame but it's also heartbreaking to see how far it reaches and leaves me feeling like my daughters are not safe.
locking up children at the border. I see how hard it is to make a difference even when you totally oppose what's going on.
Every day of the Trump presidency has been traumatic. Kavanaugh was confirmed despite credible evidence that he was a sexual predator in college. The family separations were blocked by the courts but the administration continued to separate families anyway, and they missed all the deadlines for reuniting families. I think there are thousands of children unaccounted for/will never be reunited. Thankfully we took back the House last November, but that hasn't fixed much. The Mueller investigation concluded but all we got out of it was that he won't indict a sitting president so none of it mattered, in practical terms. Recently a whistleblower came forward with some damning info about dealings with Ukraine, there's now an official Impeachment Inquiry, not sure if it's going to go anywhere. Two and a half years in Trump's America has taught me not to hope that he'll see any consequences for his actions. When I really think about it I worry that what we're really witnessing is the fall of our democracy, and the very beginning of a long dictatorship. Three years ago I would have thought that was overly dramatic but now it feels like a distinct possibility. If the House impeaches him, it seems extremely unlikely the Senate will vote to remove him. He'll run for re-election and then what if he wins again? Honestly I'm almost more afraid of what happens if he loses because I don't see him participating in a peaceful transfer of power. Same if the Senate did vote to remove him... would he respect it? Would he really admit defeat and step down? I hope to look back on this answer 2 years from now and laugh at myself for sounding so end of days, now that Elizabeth Warren is president.
Brexit - it’s been really annoying.
When everyone around me is angry about the president and talking nothing but politics ...I have taken a break from the news and it’s been extraordinarily good for my mood and health. I still care. Just taking a little break from caring too hard.
Trump is being a total asshole, globally. I feel guilty and outrage-fatigued. Now when he does something horrible, I barely react because I'm so desensitized to his awfulness. Which I'm pretty sure is the exact intended effect.
Mass Extinction, Amazon rainforest fires, millions fewer birds in the air and fish in the ocean. I grieve for what humanity has done to the planet and vow to not take part in beef and dairy industries or to contribute to the pain and destruction of other beings.
I have stayed away from viewing the news, but I do watch a lot of YouTube videos. When I think of "event in the world" I think of famous deaths, natural disasters, etc. I try to stear clear of the "if it bleeds it leads" news as it dampens my spirit and keeps me from concentrating on what I can control.
The rise of Greta Thunberg - who I think is amazing, unlike many other white middle-aged men like myself.
The beginning of impeachment hearings against Trump. I do believe he is not a good person an d probably has done a lot of illegal things in his life, certainly has divided Americans against each other.
The mass shootings felt more personal this year. The fact that houses of worship - shuls - were attacked made it heavier and extremely difficult to comprehend.
I have been too wrapped u; in my own life to know what's going on elsewhere. I also avoid reading the news whenever I can.
OMG the government and nationwide politics feel like they are imploding. Every day there are worse and worse things happen and I don't feel like anything is going to get better until we have several new presidencies to repair the damage this man has down to our country. I can't believe the hatred and vitriol that surrounds us and am afraid of stepping out of my own town to see the ugliness.
All the talk about the impeachment investigations into Trump has made me feel increasingly uneasy about how Trump has lasted this long in his presidency regardless of how he even got elected in the first place. I was shocked and disgusted when he was announced as our next president but I'm deeply saddened and appalled by the amount he has been able to get away with. It makes you question Society, feel uneasy about the future and fear that there isn't something bigger and badder brewing in our future.
Two things stand out that have been jarring and awful and shaken me to my core: -The immigration detention policies - particularly the images of children separated from their parents. I put myself in the shoes of an 11 year old girl who doesn't know when she'll next see her parents, and I can't even describe the sadness and fear. No one should have to go through that - least of all innocent families and children. Absolutely horrible. -The endless shootings. The Tree of Life shooting was horrific and scary. Should I be afraid to express my Judaism in certain settings? I am so up-front about my religion and culture, and it's scary to feel that I may have to think twice sometimes. I'm also horrified by how accustomed we've become to news of mass shootings. Mitch McConnell is the absolute worst and I hope to see real gun reform, and real change and progress, over the next year.
How could it be anything other than the climate crisis. Yes I could have said Brexit. But I, along with so many others I'm sure, have total Brexit fatigue and feel trapped into watching this whole thing play out but without being able to make any kind of difference. The climate crisis is as terrifying, but I can actively help and be involved in making a stand. The strikes are inspiring, and so important in helping us all work together. Reminding us that every little bit counts. Every small change matters. To be a part of it is incredible. And all we can dream is that we can help to make a better world.
I have isolated myself from pretty much everything. I sometimes wonder if anything has happened that I should learn about. Ongoing, The current president's antics have been difficult to ignore. Recognizing that there are catastrophes occurring and in the making that I cannot affect in anyway, both causes me worry and reminds me once again that there are events for which I am not responsible and which I neither can stop nor avoid.
Trump Trump and more Trump. I am an immigrant who made America my home as the "Goldene Medine" He has violated all that I consider to be sacred in the American Constitution and rule of law. He needs to go. Despite my feelings, I have had a sense of equanimity in that the Republic will survive and hopefully be stronger. God Bless America.
There was a protest going on in America. It upset me to read about it.. Again, I avoid the news as best I can. It's too tragic for me to manage, emotionally.
I am struck that I this year interpret the question differently from last year. Last year, it was I in my world. This year about the world around me and I living, breathing, holding my breath and feeling it. One way that the world around me has emotionally - impacted me - Gun violence - I substitute teach and began to do so the year Sandy Hook happened. Since that time, I have experienced the changes in our school culture through the eyes of the children and fellow teachers. Lockdowns are scary. The emotional toll of the adrenaline rush from fight or flight is rarely discussed; we are simply grateful that nothing worse happened. But every child and teacher who is physically safe, is worn down a bit every, every time they must cower, wonder, pretend to be brave, quietly, silently. Each time something unnamed erodes in their humanity, dulling it, deafening it, because how else does one return to one’s desk with determination to learn and to get up in the morning and repeat. I am enraged, exhausted, invisible, unheard as a teacher. I can’t help but wonder if teaching were a male dominant field, would this country be so complacent about gun control? We expect women to be caregivers in the most unfair, extraordinary situations that I firmly believe men have been groomed not to accept. And, they don’t.
The current administration has frustrated me and made me fearful that we will lose our democracy. It has disgusted me how racist, xenophobic and cruel many Americans are. You would think that selfish white people would learn and not encourage their children to be bigots, but apparently not.
Trump is being investigated and potentially impeached right now. I'm not sure that it will amount to anything, but I'm hoping that it can sway the polls enough to make him a one-term president!
Trump. Trump has so negatively impacted this country that it's almost unbelievable. He's ripped off the scab of American xenophobia and racism and made it okay to voice hatefulness again. I'm depressed that he's been our president, that there is so much pain, that people from other nations are being abused, that children were torn from their families and have never been returned--all of it. It's as if a boulder has settled on my back and I'm dragging it around--it's heavy and ever present and too much for any person or nation, I fear.
No single event has impacted me, but the two ongoing issues of immigration and domestic terrorism weigh on me. A shooting at a festival within 175 miles of home, which we had considered attending in past years but never gotten around to, was especially impactful. As I have driven past the area, I have thought "Well, now we'll never go," even though I realize that statistically it is improbable that there would be a repeat at that spot. The ongoing immigration issue grieves me because the immigrants become a focal point of such hate and malicious rhetoric. Too many legitimate immigrants are being swept into danger, and refugees from a broad range on countries are being held in limbo and ongoing deplorable conditions with no relief in sight. I feel angry and helpless. The best I can do right now is continue to contribute to the relief agencies I support with my funds designated for "Where most needed."
The Hong Kong protests recently stand out to me - it's been pretty crazy watching the HKers appeal to Americans and the rest of the West and our (appropriately) idealized sense of freedom, juxtaposed with Westerners' (half of them) cry for the government to control most aspects of their lives.
The hurricane that went through the Bahamas really impacted me. Since I really got to see how poorly a lot of buildings were and how poor the people are, it shook me to hear about the death, destruction, and impact of the hurricane. In hearing people say that "why didn't they just leave" when there is no empathy for this being their home and everything they know. I could feel them.
The political debate around Brexit and the climate school strike - it has re-awoken a hunger and a thirst for politics and intellectual discussion. I’m tired of being apathetic and want to be involved in some change for good!
The current president and his supports motivate me daily to pay attention and do what I can to support organizations that represent my values. I donate to Trevor Project, buy Free Mom Hugs merchandise, support Planned Parenthood. The personal impact is that I'm human and I am devastated by the lack of compassion and humanism, the devolution of grace and intelligent discourse in the current administration in our country.
Trump's totally abominable, hideous, hateful behavior... towards refugees, people of color, people with disabilities, and people who simply disagree with him. His policies are scary as hell. It frightens me. He has directly promoted the mainstreaming of anti-Semitism and violence. I hold him responsible for many of the brutal acts that have happened this year. It makes me feel sick and it scares me.
Everything related to Trump is such an unbelievable firehose of shit. It really affects relationships, and the way that people view the world and see themselves as Americans. The impeachment inquiry feels big right now. I wonder what it'll feel like in retrospect.
Much of what has happened in the world is unbelievable and often unspeakable. There is so much violence and anger. It just feels excruciatingly heavy.
The political landscape is hell the world over, but the rise of specifically jewish activism (#NeverAgainIsNow, etc) is so empowering to me.
Politics and climate change awareness have invaded more of my thoughts than ever before. I am feeling fatigued and exhausted by the barrage of rhetoric and lack of action by our leaders, and feeling helpless to make a difference.
I think global concern about climate change started to reach a real fever pitch during the last year. It went from something progressive people were aware of, to something we all feel real concern and anxiety about. Personally it made me more conscious of my plastic consumption, and more sensitive about the detrimental effects of eating meat. However, I want to do much more - especially with my next choice of career.
OMG DT -- the ugliness of him, the ugliness he fosters, The Horror of it -- and the Hope of James Doth that we are entering an age of compassion -- the possibility that DT has made enough folks WOKE to the ugliness we have become as a country (perhaps have always harbored) that we might see this time as the harbinger of a new and far more compassionate era where caring about our fellow brothers and sisters -- on a community and global scale-- will displace greed and unbridled capitalism and bring us back to the teachings of our great sages about doing unto others, kindness and compassion. -- for all living creatures including our mother earth. 'I'd add the publication of Naomi Nye's "The Tiny Journalist" which did much to help me be WOKE from a kind of blindness that has for far too long been a part of how I have accepted what I understood as my heritage and tradition.
The continued presidency of trump has really lead me to be uncomfortable with the ability of the United States to make change in a broken system.
The shooting at the Pittsburgh synagogue seemed to have the most significant impact on me. Not only were our close friends in danger, but it put the threats associated with bigotry and anti-semitism in such a clear and threatening form. It’s also made me feel more and more conflicted about my newfound spirituality and adoration for Judaism, because its caused me to question how much I want to be open and advertise my faith.
mass shootings have impacted the way I plan my day. I am literally planning on seeing JOKER early in the morning assuming shooters don’t wake up early to wreak havoc. I wish I didn’t have to walk around in fear.
I feel isolated from the world here in a rural area, which is fine with me. I suppose a world event that I have found most inspiring is the world student protests on climate change. As a student in the late 80's-early 90s the activism was all about what we can do as individuals - recycling, turning off the water while we're brushing our teeth, etc. Now we know that none of that shit matters if we can't force dramatic institutional action from the top.
There are many issues but one in particular stands out. Hong Kong's fight for freedom and democracy and hence for civil liberties. Hong Kong is at the forefront of the worldwide conflict between democracy and authoritarianism. “If we are now in a new Cold War, Hong Kong is the new Berlin”, said Joshua Wong, who is one of the leading activists involved in the struggle for civil liberties. This year marked the 70th Anniversary of the establishment of the People's Republic of China is the appropriate occasion for mourning. By remembering the horrific injustices that have been committed and numerous other injustices and atrocities. The injustices continue under the authoritarian rule of the Communist Party.
It feels small, but has really contributed to my identity. Oregon passed a family leave law, allowing parents and other caretakers to take paid leave. I've been a vocal advocate of this kind of support, especially for new moms, since my first pregnancy. And even though I won't directly benefit from the law (I'm done having kids), it has made me feel optimistic about the future of working parents, it has led me to seek out companies that value working parents, and it has reminded me that activism sometimes works!
Wow. For the first time in many years, nothing comes to mind. There is no one event, only patterns, trends that affect me. I'm not sure what that means. Maybe I've tuned out our event-focused mentality. Maybe I'm just not paying attention.
The world event that affected me the most this year was Kavanaugh. I am absolutely disgusted but not surprised but still somehow shocked at how that whole thing played out. I am so sick of my country not caring about women and our experiences and not even pretending to play fair anymore, and for me that was the true tipping point into "I'm done" territory. That affected me emotionally so much that I just needed to stop doing that to myself, and even though I recognize it's a privilege, it is so much better for me not to be invested in politics like that, especially since I don't even live in the US. (Which does feel like a good decision these days.)
This fucking presidency. It’s made us all tense and reclusive and angry and despondent and terrified etc etc etc. There are too many shocking and horrible things to single out just one. The lies, the manipulations, the deceit and corruption. It’s not just awful it feels like there’s no end in sight. It’s nearly impossible to see how we can emerge from this horror any time soon. The global future seems bleak and like there will only be bad news from here on out where nationalism, racism, bigotry, income inequity and climate survival are concerned.
The Extinction Rebellion protests have really inspired me. While I haven't personally participated in them I do support their intentions and hope that governments listen and respond accordingly. We need system change. We can't do this on an individual level anymore.
OMG. Donald Trump. First, last, always. His buffoonery has shifted to actual menacing, predatory, authoritarian behavior. Being impeached (almost certainly, over Ukraine, all breaking in the last 8 days; House is doing an "inquiry" but it's one small toeline away from a full-blown impeachment sent to the Senate) has turned him into a raging, rabid bull moose who is charging at anything and everything. He's out of control. Ken and I spend innumerable hours debating politics, the cable news shows we're addicted to, what's wrong with the asshole Rs and much more. Other events in the world -- Khashoggi's murder by Saudi Arabia, the horrific forest fire in the Amazon, the hurricane in the Bahamas, the rioting in Hong Kong, Brexit pandemonium, the tension with Iran that could plunge us into WWIII at any moment, given either leader's smallest misstep or hastiest conclusion-jumping, the extinction of birds, bugs and icebergs, the hottest temperatures in historical record in so many places at once -- so many apocalyptic forces converging in a stew of overwhelming grief and rage. I must say that a year from now, when this answer surfaces again from the Vault, I hope it is with relief that I know with certainty that this will no longer be our reality. But I am concerned that I will find this entry insufficient to describe the current state.
Well hopefully Impeachment baby! The world is filled now with right wing crazy nut jobs, who just want to tear everything down and not rebuild. We should be focusing on working together. To create a healthy, fulfilling life for everyone that takes nature and the climate into account.
Multiple mass shootings... it’s incredibly depressing that our government continues to do nothing because of the fear of not getting nra money. It’s also mind blowing that so many people insist they have the right to have semi-automatic weapons with large chamber bullet systems. It’s disgusting to me that they care more about that than our own children. The state of the world is depressing. This is something I wrote on Facebook that I think summed up my feelings... Now that I’ve had some time to reflect, I want to post something about a horrible experience the other night... On Tuesday evening I was with my parents, Lisa and Amir, at a Broadway performance of “To Kill a Mockingbird” near Times Square. We were sitting on the mezzanine and with about 3 minutes remaining in the play we started to hear rumbling, loud sounds, and what sounded like a stampede below us. All of a sudden the actors all bolted from the stage, and there was mass pandemonium as people all over the theatre tried to evacuate their seats or duck for cover. The two girls in front of us - I assume still in grade school - knew exactly what to do even before their mother told them to get under the seats. People tried to jump on the stage and escape any way they could. Maybe 3 or 4 minutes after it began someone came on the loudspeaker to say everything was fine, stay calm, and stay in your seats. We knew nothing more than that. My parents and I had stayed in our seats but people continued panicking. Some parents on the balcony were screaming their daughter’s name who was apparently on the floor level, absolutely scared out of their minds. There was another similar information-less announcement a couple of minutes later and finally, a few minutes later one that said a motorcycle had backfired in the alley - at this I started shaking and burst into ugly sobs. Amazingly, I felt very little fear during the situation but a huge sense of sadness and abrupt anger at that announcement. All I could say, loudly, was how fucked up our country is - numerous times. My parents spent about 10 or 15 minutes trying to calm me down with my mom intermittently crying as she watched me have my melt down. As the last few people filed out of the theatre - some stopped by to say they were feeling exactly how I was. Finally, after the theatre was basically empty except for the ushers, I was calm enough to leave. As we stepped out the door, we heard sirens everywhere. Times Square was filled to the brim with police and ambulances. It turns out that when that motorcycle backfired, people fled Times Square as well. The noise we initially heard in the theatre was a horde of people banging on the doors trying to get in, hide, and escape what they thought might be a gunman or gunmen. Thinking about it we knew that “To Kill a Mockingbird” could have been a prime target due to its racially charged themes, but we had not considered our proximity to Times Square. We decided to go ahead with our plans for dinner to try and get back to some semblance of normalcy (and to get a stiff drink,) but as we were walking there a grandmother came up to us begging to use my mom’s phone. In the craziness, her 11-year-old granddaughter had taken off with her phone and she couldn’t keep up. Thankfully they were reunited maybe 40-minutes later, but I cannot imagine the thoughts that raced through her mind or of the minds of many others who were separated from their loved ones or hurt during the event. Mass shootings have become our new “normal” and our country lives in fear for where one might break out next. THIS IS NOT OK... it is beyond fucked up. This was actually my second experience with mass pandemonium after Joel and I were at the Houston Rodeo a couple of years ago when there was an actual shooting (albeit a specifically targeted one). Imagine tens of thousands of people stampeding towards the exits while not knowing exactly what is happening. As I posted last week something needs to change. Blame whatever you want, but I wholeheartedly believe that guns that can kill mass numbers of people in a very short time are one of the huge issues. Do I believe we could use more mental health help, yes for sure, and yet women suffer from mental health issues as well... and of the 114 shootings considered ‘mass shootings’ between 1982 and August of 2019 ONLY 3 were committed by women and 1 committed with a woman involved. Let that sink in before you take up that reasoning. With the incident I described above it was easy for me to vividly imagine a “good guy with a gun” accidentally shooting an innocent person grabbing their cell phone from their pocket. There are NO excuses anymore... gun legislation must be rethought and strengthened in the US - we must put human lives, of our children and everyone else, above the love of guns. I also thoroughly believe that rhetoric from those in power - especially Mr. Trump - must be tempered so as not to increase the already high level of hate and fear some are feeling towards individuals of different races, religions, disabilities, sexual preferences or gender identities. We as a country can do so much better than this... PERIOD. Feel free to share this... and not just on your Facebook - share it with those in every level of government - or better yet, share it with your own stories until there’s nothing to do but work towards a fix - one step at a time.
The wildfires in California last fall were so intense. Being able to see all that smoke in the sky and realize what it's like in so many parts of the world when the air is that way all the time – it was a daily reminder (for a week at least) of the privilege I have to live where I live.
Admittedly, in many ways I feel I've either been numb to world events or "hovered" over them as I doubled down on work. That said, the persistent immigration issues on our southern border have caused me to consider the very privileges I've taken for granted that for others are essential gateways to being able to simply enter or remain in a country, much less work to establish a life for themselves and their families. Additionally, the hurricane that decimated the Bahamas, the reports on the destruction of the Great Barrier Reef, the recent report of the death of millions of bird each year, and the recent UN speech have put into perspective the increasingly dire state of climate change and the very real impact it is having and will continue to have on us, no matter how much we continue to insulate ourselves with our existing lifestyles.
The grounding of the Boeing 737 Max aircraft made me stop and think a bit. We fly fairly often, and my husband is pretty knowledgeable about/interested in aviation, having been in the travel business for many years. I used to be a fearless flyer. That changed after we became parents and grandparents. My nerves are creeping back, and I sometimes wonder if all of the watch dogs for the aviation industry are watching all that they should closely enough.
The continued mass shootings and lack of any action from our politicians has shown me that the world overall doesn't care. People say they do, but if they did, they would demand change and require politicians and those in charge to make it. But people are fine with the status quo of children dying, and it doesn't seem like there is anything anyone can do to change that.
Israeli elections. Trump. lots of things happened. I worry that the world is going to end in a huge war. Honestly, I worry. I sit at outdoor services for Rosh Hashanah and i think "What would I do if an armed person ran towards us? They would shoot down all these kids. I worry about all the weapons that white supremacists are stockpiling. Trump isn't just going to step down. I worry that Netayahu will remain in power and Israel will be lost.
Children Activism for Climate Change. It impacted me because i thought children were not aware of climate change and didn´t know how to organise and react in the streets, in front of the institutions, daring them to change. I thought that their intervention was brighter than the adults because they are the ones that will the future victims if this capitalism greed doesn´t stop.
The disillusionment I've experienced this year as regards our government leadership (or lack thereof) feels out of character for me. There is some hope for the elections next year, but the sorry state we are in currently seems almost insurmountable. A loss of civility and normal adherence to the law is destressing.
Trump. Just the constant pain of such a horrible person leading our country and the amazement I have that so meany people still support him. I understand voting for him in 2016 - he was a wildcard and Hillary was a flawed candidate. But now we know who he really is and he is the worst kind of fraud and con man. How can you still support him??
This past year I haven’t really paid attention to the world to be honest. I was focusing on our new town and all the changes in our lives.
Gosh. Nothing good. Probably just political stuff, like how I donate to the ACLU and Planned Parenthood and NPR now. And I try harder to be less wasteful. And I've become more liberal as conservatives become more radical. I'm much more likely think about climate change and immigration policies when I vote. Greg wants to get involved the next Presidential election. We can't let Trump fuck up this world any more than he already has. What kind of planet are we leaving for Henry?
This is a difficult question to answer, because there are so many impactful things going on in the world. I will never stop caring, but I am worried that I am getting numb from the constant inundation of negativity.
I follow the news, but most stories wash over me, and don't stay on my mind. Mostly, I remember the US President causing problems with other countries.
It is difficult to choose one singular event as every day our government, led by our president does something that is unimaginable and unbelievable. The damage that has been done, not just to that office and to government, but to our country and our world, cannot be calculated, but I'm afraid the repair needed will take decades if not more. I'm worried greatly for our world.
I've been avoiding the news, which has meant that world events haven't impacted me in the same way. I feel guilty about it, but at the same time, it wasn't driving me to do anything better, just to despair. The 2018 midterm elections were encouraging, but haven't really penetrated the layer of numb dread that comes when I think about politics. The protests in Hong Kong are probably the biggest thing that's affected me--I'm really impressed by the way they refuse to give up. I've sort of been expecting every revolution in my life to fizzle out as people grow tired. But maybe Hong Kong can be a model to us all, to keep relentlessly fighting, and to keep trying every strategy we can, and to come together as much as we can, and to fight until we win.
The ongoing disaster that is Trump threatens us all.
Wow, the world just continues to implode and explode. Let's see, children in cages? Rolling back the already mediocre climate protective steps? Assault rifles and school shootings? Absolutely corrupt government? Threatening reproductive freedom? Where does it end? My anxiety is high and I find emotional fatigue and overwhelm. Plus so many of these issues are really really polarizing and have created potentially irreparable rifts in my friend and family circles.
Tree of Life Shooting. It felt terrible to sit and wait for Shabbat to end in California to check in with the kids in Pittsburgh (and around in general). It felt very close to home and very real. I don't necessarily think it changed my life, I still feel equally safe/unsafe in the world, honestly. But I think it was just a reminder that I can't protect my kids from everything (anything?) and that it's hard to be far away from a place I once called home and people that I love. Also, the world is a pretty terrible place sometimes, but that doesn't feel like news...
Loss of animal species due to loss of habitat. It is grievous to contemplate never having some of God’s creation again.
Everything, everything has been big and scary. I have started to hold out hope there are still heroes.
I'm sure that there has been a world event that impacted me at the time, but sometimes world events are funny things...we don't truly hang onto them unless we are directly impacted in some way...
The Trump administration separating children from their families at the border. It let me know (as though I needed more information) that they genuinely don't care at all about people who are not like them. It divides the world for me into people who care about other people regardless of where they're from and people who don't
Synagogue shootings, and terrorism in general. Need I say more?
Pretty much every part of the Trump presidency has been infuriating. From the attack on reproductive rights to the detention and separation of immigrant families to the lack of action in regards to the climate crisis, everything about the political atmosphere has made me incredibly angry. However, this has fueled my own increase in political engagement and social justice.
Well, it seems like Trump might finally get impeached and that’s a big deal to me. Rather than pointing to one specific event, I’ll just say gun violence particularly in schools. At least once a day, every day, I do a quick assessment thinking about what I would do if a kid had a gun, what I’d do if they opened fire, etc. The issue is so common now that we just gloss over it, but I sometimes think that there’ll come a time when teachers take oaths to die for their students, because it’s far too common. I know I would sacrifice myself for those kids without a doubt, but should I have to be in a profession where that’s the case? We specifically had a mass shooting in Pittsburgh earlier in 2019. It was at a synagogue. I think that one resonated because it was so close to where I live. Also today I taught my students about the Charlottesville Unite the Right rally. That was in 2017 but I think it really hit me that I was enlightening them at the cost of a little piece of the tiny bit of innocence they have left. That’s always a weird line to straddle. I feel like I’m constantly trying to think of ways to create empathy and understanding. They don’t understand that these things are REAL and happen to real people. I don’t want the way they find out to be through having to experience it. They really just don't get it though, and that's super unfortunate.
It's an election year. I'm not sure how it's going to play out but am really afraid of what might happen if we go conservative federally.
I don't even think it's one event. The Trump presidency is one disaster after another and I feel it. I feel it from head to foot, in my body and in my mind and in my soul. It's exhausting to keep fighting and impossible to stop. Each time I think he can't get any worse he does. He may be impeached soon, but he also might make it to 2020. He might even be elected in 2020. I don't know. I just know that the collective burden his administration has placed on us is almost too much to manage. And I've stepped up. I got arrested this year. I took up a more active voice on social media--still small but hopefully growing in the months to come. I've stayed silent less.
I carry heavy in my heart the family separations at the border and the gun violence that wracks our country.
I find most of what Donald Trump says to be dangerously laughable, or annoy me; how much he just riles people up - those who like him or not. And maybe the Russians shouldn't be fucking with us. I don't know. I don't really care. If we all die, so what. We will die one day anyway. Let's just calm down, back the fuck up, and Chill out. "We're all the same schmuck."
The world is on fire. Literally, in Brazil. The Pittsburgh and Poway shootings were the direct cause of my arranging the first security presence (plainclothes, 'cause I'm not totally politically tone-deaf) at Oberlin High Holiday services. I hate that I had to have those conversations. Also, the Gibson's trial screwed up my summer plans of connecting with college administrators, and is, in many ways, still overshadowing the academic year. And then there are both Israeli elections, and the current spectacle of our rapidly evolving (or degenerating?) constitutional crisis. And there are still babies in cages and I'm not sure my grandchildren, should I be blessed with any, will have a recognizable world to live in. This is quite a time to be alive.
There was a shooting at a synagogue in Pittsburgh this year. Over 10 people died and it was an anti-semitic crime. This event really shock me. I usually am under the impression that anti-semitism is something that is not really dealt with anymore. But that is not the case.
The third democratic debate. This was the first time I watched a debate, as I am finally getting old enough to truly appreciate the seriousness and relevance of the issues they are discussing. It left me with a lot of feelings. I hate how much the media gets involved with politics, and what I hate even more is when candidates make large scale promises with no explanation of how they will achieve it... I guess I'm just really starting to realize how messed up politics are...
The Trump presidency continues to be a source of worry and consternation in my household. My husband is worried that there will be violence in the streets if Trump is impeached or on trial. He's thinking about buying a gun for protection. I'm worried about bringing a gun into the house.
Climate collapse and the rise of fascism together have me moving my focus more and more to community and small acts, because I don't know if we can come up with a big enough solution, and that needs we're going to need each other more than ever.
The shootings of innocent people in public, seemingly safe places with no positive progress made to address hatred and vitriol speech has been depressing. I have been looking back at history from the 1930’s and 40’s to understand how we cannot repeat this horrible history.
The #Fridaysforfuture school climate strikes have deeply impacted the projects I am teaching in Science. It is finally time for a culture shift. I’m saying yes with action.
Most if the world events of the last year have left me so depressed I don't even want to think about them. I feel guilty saying so as ignorance is never the answer, but childrearing, sleep deprivation, stress, and minimal opportunities for selfcare have left my emotional state so week that really feeling the impact of these events might just finish me off. That being said, it does feel like maybe there is a palpable shift in momentum around addressing some of these such as climate change and gun violence. So I try to hang on to hope and contribute to positive change every way that I can.
The Dayton shooting was particularly hard. I saw a photo of the dead shooter come through Snapchat just hours after. It was way too close to home.
Days are starting to blend together in strange ways. Nothing feels distinct except love or disasters. I've got to pay better attention to the world.
When I learned from Polly after she watched the documentary on Stuy and 9/11 that Cathy Choy died in March, it hit me hard. I had no idea Cathy was even sick. I don't know how much time we have. I don't know how much time I have. I want to spend my time well. I thought about how if I found out tomorrow I only had a short amount of time left, the thing I would regret the most is that there is so much I still want to learn. Specifically, there is so much Torah that I want inside of my body that isn't there yet. Hearing about Cathy's untimely death was sad but it also made me remember how I need to value each day and not put off doing the things I love.
More tragedy that I can even recall. I don't want to circle back - too late. The shooting in Pittsburgh, and me tearfully explaining to G why it is more meaningful: not just any people, but my people. I'm not proud of that feeling.
There's been a lot of discussion about Greta and the climate lately which has impacted me a lot as I care very much about the environment and I am fearful about destruction it is facing. I have always cared but I feel pretty hopeless about it. I wouldn't say that the recent events have given me hope exactly, I have little faith in humanity's collective ability to take action. However, it has effected me seeing all the people that are protesting and and discussing it, because if something is going to change, there has to be constant pressure on governments and efforts to change the current trends. I am happy there is at least acknowledgement and attention on the issue.
None, I don’t have cable tv, so do not hear the news. I don’t subscribe to local news paper, so I don’t read news. No talk about anything significant in office other than weather but my loved ones are not harmed by any storms or fires this year. Praise God for peace in my life.
Trump being terrible and doing illegal things, and the whole world thinking America is Idiocracy come to life. It's made me not want to return to the US any time soon. He's such an embarrassment.
The news has mostly been so awful. I've appreciated seeing Elizabeth Warren's campaign, her positive and pragmatic take on the overwhelming problems that face us.
I'm not 100% sure it was this year, but New Mexico passed sweeping, ambitious green legislation-- in fact, the most sweeping and ambitious in the country. And a friend of mine from college wrote it. I found *that* out this year. It was a great reminder that there are other things I can do with my degree, things with impact and importance and things that directly require my expertise. It helped me to not feel so trapped in the track of the career I've chosen so far.
I didn't set out to be thinking about feminism (I'm one of those women who are always wary of the F word), but it seems this year has been pointing me towards it a lot. From attending International Women's Day event, to ending up mentoring three young women and talking to my partner about the gender gap in paid and unpaid work, and finally deciding to host a community event around women and investing.
The persecution of the Christian church in the places where Christianity is being blocked. It impact my prayer life since the start of this year as my heart can't understand the love they have in the hearts of the missionary to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Becoming properly aware of climate change through Extinction Rebellion. Of course I knew we were damaging our planet, but wasn't engaging with what this meant or what we needed to do. And... I have lost faith in party politics. Brexit, Boris Johnson, all out warfare in the Labour Party. I'm fed up of taking a side rather than focusing on the issues
I can't think of one specific event, it's more just the confluence of awfulness that has been going on, the blatant lying, the undoing of rights, the call for civility when what we really need is justice. It's radicalized me for sure, and maybe even given me hope. Since it's gotten so bad, I can dream of what "so good" would look like. I'm still outraged at inequality and injustice, especially as things fall into place in my own life. I know we can do better.
Greta Thunberg and the climate change demonstrations have hammered home just how desperate the situation is. We've almost cut out all plastics and palm oil and are buying less. Although we should be doing more to support larger changes too. Brexit. Although it's not done yet. I hope we can stay. The protests in Hong Kong are shocking and a reminder of how delicate a society can be and how close to breaking they are if the community feels threatened. Much like climate action. If the rulers of the world push too far, there is power in uniting and pushing back.
Not quite sure what to say, the world seems to be a bit of a dumpster fire right now. I think I've quite consciously moved to keep things simple and deal with what I can deal with. Cutting myself off from everything means that it's a little easier to deal with the day to day. And I take solace in the fact that in the work that I do and the way that I do it, I'm doing my bit.
The continuing nightmare of the Trump presidency. Because of his buffoonery, the Republican Party and the Democratic Party have lost focus on the devastating effects of spiraling national debt, income inequality, and the climate change. I fear for the country and world my son will inherit.
Extending last year's answer: The continuing trend toward authoritarianism is disturbing. I watch the leader of my country flout the law, and his supporters justify it - I'm concerned we're headed toward autocracy.
Reflecting on last year's answer, I still am pretty checked out in terms of the news, which continues to feel right for me. But I guess I'd say that the increase in severe weather events all over the world is impacting me because I'm a climate change activist (personally and professionally), and (for better and worse) we seem to be reaching a tipping point in terms of climate change awareness and action and these severe weather events are helping the cause. People are finally believing. And perhaps it's not too late to avert the worst...
How to pick just one. The existence of this president, the dying planet... all of it compounds to create great stress and anxiety, and leads me to all of my bad habits- from scrolling to staying up to late to eating etc.etc. I definitely have moments of such existential dread I am glad I have Ellie because otherwise...I dont know if I'd 'bother'. I guess to end on a positive note, the climate strike of a few weeks ago inspired me and made me think that the top half of Ellie's generation is going to help make things better. Too bad we need to rely on children to do it though.
Climate change. Fires. Burning of the mountain in Pisac. Burning of a beautiful forest in Tasmania. It has hurt my heart, worried me about the future, shown me how precious and fleeting life on earth, is.
It is a little hard for me to answer this one, since I feel like I'm pretty safe from the world out here in California, but I suppose I would say the shooting that happened in Dayton. I had gone home for a visit, and the next morning, I woke up to the news that 9 people had been killed and 20+ wounded at a shooting downtown. Last time I had come to Dayton, my ex and I had stayed in that area and even went into that same bar where it happened. It was surreal to watch the news and see dead bodies pictured on streets that I knew. My mom, Sue and I went to the candlelight vigil and it was very moving to see how people came together. It seemed suddenly like race, class, political stance, etc. no longer mattered and people just wanted to come together and see change. Unfortunately, Trump came to town two days later and ruined that sense of unity... but for a moment, there was hope for that town.
i am not aware of a world event impacting me directly
Learning about the Pacific Garbage Island. I'm late to the party but that's no excuse to keep blinders on. It prompted uncomfortable conversations and policies implemented into my new business and life. Plastic is the scourge of the planet, much like human overconsumption and waste.
Trump and his terrible, ongoing, blatant, unchecked lying (specifically and most recently about the Ukraine/Biden issue that's led Congress at last to begin the articles of Impeachment process). I remain at a low simmer at all times regarding him, to the point where I very inappropriately spouted "fuck him" about a person on FB whom Dave since as unfollowed/unfriended who was spouting Trump-supported conspiracy theories and thus represented yet another unthinking and mean-spirited apologist for this horror we have in the White House. I don't want to feel this low-simmer boil over something I can do beyond absolutely nothing about; I want this feeling to go away; I want this man to go away and get what he deserves: justice like all people not above the law must face.
I’m thinking of two events. The word world makes me think of the globe so I think immediately of climate change and global warming and our collective overuse of plastics and other disposals. I’ve been hearing lately that our focus is not actually on the destruction of the world, because in the end nature will win, but we are destroying our children and their children and generations to come. I am trying in my own way to create less waste and I pray that collectively we can find solutions. I’m not so optimistic about this though. I feel like we have gone so far and are so dependent on things like plastic and pillaging the earth’s resources that the rate that we may be able to slow this waste is likely not going to be fast enough. On a closer to home front, I think about two synagogue shootings (Pittsburgh and Poway) and the rise of antisemitism and fear that creates in me. I feel, in a sad way, a connection to all Jews and we have had to deal with antisemitism throughout our entire existence and I know I am more free and safe today than most of my ancestors were in previous times.
international public humiliation due to the choice of who is the u.s Oaf of Office
The election of Trump and all the bullshit that now seems to be a daily acceptable situation. His actions have hurt the entire world and all he sees is himself. I thought the craziness would stay in his country but some of it is spreading. I wouldn't be surprised if he was reelected no matter what he does.
It's hard to pinpoint a single event, but there were a number of marches I went to this year and attempted to bring our 6 year old daughter to to gain perspective on the world around us. We had gone to a global climate justice march, a lamentation march for immigrant rights on Tisha B'Av, a gun control march... When she was even younger, I thought I would not try to influence my kids' politics, but it is increasingly difficult not to. The things we are out there protesting are issues of basic justice in the Jewish tradition. It is not just political, it is ethical. And it's important my children know this.
Climate change. It depresses me and I’m anxious about it.
The rise of antisemitism has created a deeper sense of connection to my Jewish identity and secured many of the questions that I've had over the years. I get it now, and get the feelings of prior generations regarding self preservation and continuity.
Kavanaugh and MeToo. We are the same age, graduated high school the same year. I grew up in a very different milieu: a small town, southern public high school, far less privilege. Still, the memories revived by his high school year book and other discussions of the mid-80s teen and young adult culture viewed through today's lens was not something I had bothered to look at yet. I was so angry at his dismissal of all of this. I do believer Christine. I might have had more doubts about his guilt if he had acknowledged other realities.
More shootings, more blather and scary rhetoric from our "leaders", more despair and withdrawal from me. More guilt about not speaking up, more cognitive dissonance, more depression than I'm used to feeling.
I don't feel like any particular external event has impacted me much this year, since I've been so rocked by my own personal struggles.
Everything related to Trump and Immigration and Climate Change and everything in the news affects me deeply and makes me extremely concerned for the world we are living in. One that was particularly difficult was the supreme court appointment of Brett Kavanaugh because as this was happening I was grappling with similar situations in my own social circle. Going to college this past year has made me realize how pervasive sexual assault is and how difficult it is for victims to come forward. Several people I know didn't go through with a trial because they knew it would conflict with their studies and they could risk their future. Others came forward, made it public and there was still sympathy for rapist and blame on her and the authorities got her in trouble for coming forward. This all made me realize how deeply ingrained the patriarchy is and how it affects us all.
Having Donald Trump as the President of the United States has negatively impacted me this year. It has strained my relationship with my parents and made me fearful of being a Jew in America (and the world). I am more fearful now than I have ever been about the rise of anti-Semitism, but I am still uncomfortable protesting publicly. I feel anxious and depressed a lot.
Trump. I once was a patriotic, country-loving Republican. Now, I believe (actually, I know) that there are tens of millions of Americans who believe that what this moron is doing to our country is okay -- and even "great".
I think all the recent events in general have impacted me. I recognize that we really haven't 'come that far'. We cycle thru these ideas of us against them and I'm right and you're wrong, when isn't it all just cultural constructs and labels? We're all just humans who have been raised with different beliefs and different cultures. Why do we have to be RIGHT? I'm frustrated by the whole lot of it and just want to treat everyone like their true self, which has no labels or preconceptions.
I met Scott at the airport. It has been a very long time since I was willing to consider and attempt to accommodate someone else in my life choices. I am still working on how to do this without changing my life goals and values.
I just think Greta Thunberg is a fucking badass and will change the world.
The mass shootings have got to stop. Since when has a weapon been more important than the lives of other humans? I really don't understand the logic of those who so fiercely defend owning guns.
Where do I even begin? There was a mass shooting at a synagogue in Pittsburgh. The children and babies and human beings coming through our southern border are still being detained, so now I basically live in Hitler's Germany. It's horrific to know it's going on and that we haven't been able to stop it. What is next? Also, the first Icelandic glacier has ceased to exist. I don't know for sure if this is the first glacier in the world to disappear under human residency, but it is the first I'm aware of. And it's terrifying - how much longer will the world exist as a habitable place for humans? What will our demise look like? That's the truly scary question.
The Kavenaugh hearings were terrible. Was that this year? Or last? I feel like we go from one horrible thing to another—mass shooting, ICE raids, separation of immigrant families and the deplorable conditions they are detained in, growing tide of white supremacy, sexism, homo- and transphobia, and hate in so many forms—in such rapid succession, it's hard to keep track. But during those hearings I felt my pain, and that of so many women, laid bare and jeered at right alongside Dr. Ford as she testified. I feel like it created a sisterhood of pain. I felt more determined to love, support, and believe my fellow women. Perhaps we are being sanctified by fire, but oh how it burns.
This feels terrible to say but the mass shootings except I can’t pinpoint just one—mostly that they seem to be so common that they don’t affect me now as much, which saddens me and scares me.
The potential impeachment of Trump feels very exciting!
Trump's policies made it unsafe for me (and people like me) to visit the US, so I had to cancel puppet workshops and was not able to visit my friend in Oregon or my friend in California. A possible Brexit made people in Britain tense and concerned, adding stress for everyone which I felt guilty for possibly increasing.
The growing climate change movement and the slowly dawning realisation that us humans cannot continue destroying our planet. That was the good part. The bad news is the spectacular failure of leadership on the world stage by political leaders who lack the courage to do anything meaningful about it.
I don't even know. Does everyone's life through history feel marked by world tragedy and global upheaval and disaster? What should I be most worried about?? Rising anti-semitism and the shocking danger of being an American Jew under a white supremacist regime that does little to protect us against the rampant violence against us? Only we seem to be protecting ourselves. The ongoing arrests by ICE and the fact no Brown person is really safe here anymore? Like more than usual? People are literally dying in American custody and drinking toilet water and it feels like no one cares. Or is it the impending doom because nobody in power seems to care about doing anything serious about climate change? Will I even have grandchildren on Earth? The world feels like a hot mess and I feel like I'm powerless and there is nothing I can do that would be enough.
Climate change. It has been profoundly disturbing to experience the extreme temperatures, both in air and in the ocean. I've witnessed first-hand the coral bleaching and man-o-war infestations that came with sea temperature rise, and the crazy hot weather that went on for months. The massive hurricanes that hit the eastern U.S. 2016 was the first year of record-breaking temperatures here in Hawaii, day after day, and every year since then we've exceed them. I'm very concerned about the future of this planet, and hope that we can get the world's leaders to do their job and put the health of the planet ahead of profits. That seems unlikely with the current administration, which is Greed personified. So sad, yet hopeful that the pendulum will swing again in the other direction and we'll once again be able to make some progress toward global sustainability. In the meantime, we do everything we can to lesson our impact on the planet, and will continue to work hard to do everything we can to help.
The events surrounding Trump's failed presidency have had an emotional impacton how I view the world. I feel helpless in that sense. He has created an environment conducive to hateful speech and activity that threatens my safety.
The discovery that Russia interferes in the 2016 election, resulting in the election of Donald Trump continues to trouble me. The fact that senate Republicans continue to refuse to acknowledge how important this is astonishes me. And the role social media has played, knowing or unknowingly is distressing to say the least.
*points to Trump and impeachment* Please, oh please, oh please, don't let me read this next year after having spent months watching a civil war play out...
Anything to do with politics in America has been traumatizing. Watching the fall of the empire happen is disturbing.
Trumps horrible immigration policies. Tearing apart families. Feeling angry and sometimes putting my head in the sands, yelling to whoever is listening, ocassionally organizing. The youth climate strike. May we see change in our lifetime. May it be enough.
The camps that were keeping kids on the border really affected me this year. I can't stand by and let that happen, and I'm planning on participating in some civil action based on that. ICE is really clearly Gestapo and I can't understand how any people can allow this.
I feel like I've actually been quite disconnected / removed from the world this year. "Bibi got elected, big deal." "Coalition negotiations failed -- a few months later Bibi got 2nd place but still gets to start the coalition talks... that's fucked up but big deal." Big stuff has happened in the world. Trump is under impeachment inquiry. Greta Thunberg came to the US. Huge climate strikes happened throughout the country and the world. There were terror attacks, police killed unarmed (mostly black) civilians, the Notre Dame burned down. None of these things stuck to me for more than a day, maybe two. I can't think of how any of them have impacted me greatly. The only event that carried personal meaning to me was the Ethiopian Airlines crash, in which my friend Max was killed (I wrote about Max previously). The ceremony in his honor was filled with people who spoke so immensely highly of him, I learned about projects I never even knew he'd done / initiated / been in charge of, learned about the amazing community he'd been able to build, the sense of home and belonging he'd been able to create for others. It was a moment of heightened awareness for me, of heightened clarity as to how I should position myself in the world. I wish I could say I am living up to that awareness and clarity today -- I'm not. But I hereby resolve to do so in the year 5780.
Living in a country that is being corrupted and divided by a madman is taking its toll. He is an out-of-control trainwreck coming straight at us and is seemingly unstoppable. The knowledge that so many in this country do not see this as I do is debilitating and depressing. It's unconscionable that the only way to stop him is if he does something so horrendous, so illegal, so immoral that maybe something would be done.
The crisis in Venezuela. I was briefly dating someone originally from Venezuela at the time, and his family was all there. It got me so present to how disconnected I felt and how little I could relate to what he and his family were going through. I felt simultaneously grateful for the life I have led so far and completely sheltered and ignorant.
An ongoing event in our President making a mockery of our country and somehow being untouchable in spite of all of the illegal (or near-illegal), inappropriate, and inhumane things he says and does.
The young climate change protesters! This has been a big year for world youth coming out strong and clear about wanting immediate environmental policy changes that creates immediate change in humanity’s impact on climate change. I am hopeful for the first time since the conversation started. I worry about the earth. Humans have been a plague here killing everything and creating toxic environments everywhere. Human history is sickening in this arena. Yet I’ve seen and I’m aware of beautiful movements by humans too. Our collective sickness behaviors has outweighed our collective healthy behaviors to the brink of killing off so many species here on earth - we really are next - and rightly so! Given that we are the cause and to blame for this terrible predicament! But as I look at this rapid surge of humanities youth emerging with their powerful voices - I feel a glimmer of hope for humanity and earth.
Again this year my answer is not specific to one event but the impact of many events related to climate denial at the highest level in our government at this time. The voice of Greta Thunberg has amplified the concerns of millions of people, especially the younger generation who will have to live with the consequences of the inaction of the past and present decade. I am deeply angered by the lack of respect shown to this eloquent young woman especially from white males who obviously are afraid she is right. And she is. The vast swath of ignorance that her words reveal is staggering - the denial of scientific research and fact just blows my mind. Ignorance will kill us all.
Still in my bubble. I gave a $5,000 donation to Family Tree. My goal this coming year is to be even more deliberate and generous with my income. I will say seeing more leaders who are gay and trans is encouraging. May we keep creating safe spaces.
The madness of King Donald. With every hateful breath out of his mouth, I realize the work I, and every other sane human being, must do to counteract his poison.
The Rump climate change mass shootings measles and anti-vaxxers Ukraine Amazon burning The futility of recycling But I got a great deal on some shoes at DSW
The midterm elections were this past year and democrats regained control of the House and so many local elections. That was important for all of us because it has helped slow our country’s complete downward spiral into fascism, and applies more pressure for accountability on the White House.
Hmm. This is a hard one. I feel like my world has been small- I've been barely able to handle what's been going on in my own world, so I've let the world be small and haven't engaged much in what is going on in the world, and I've let that be ok. It has helped me feel less anxious. Politically, the world has been a succession of sad events. I've been really interested to see the final outcome and implications of Brexit.
It would have to be the Kavanaugh hearing with Christine Blasey Ford last October. It brought up all of my past sexual assaults, and in a way, it was helpful because I needed to address the impact they had on me that I had ignored for years. I lost any remaining faith I had in our justice system watching his hearing.
The tragic natural disasters, from wildfires, to floods and hurricanes. I know that I need to consider changing my mindset and habits around how I impact the environment and clearly take great steps to being a part of the solution to affect climate change.
The US is a horrific shitshow and I benefit from the chaos by being well-off and white. I hate all of that. I wish I knew what to do!
The Trump fake presidency. I have been depressed and am losing faith that the light will triumph over darkness. Seems like Revelations is coming true. But then in Hindu texts, the Kali Yuga is coming to the end. Then there's all the awful things that are happening to people because of climate change, mass shootings in the US, and the complete disregard for science by all the people who support Trump. It all seems to be getting worse every year - wrote this last year and it has become worse
The border... stuff. It's hard to pick one moment. The escalation of immigration and border detention issues, and people's reactions to those issues, has impacted me because it has made me ask how we can do anything to make our world a better place when we cannot agree on facts, much less how to interpret them. Law school involved reading case law, and by the time a case gets to the appellate level, there is some consensus on the who, what, when, where, and how, if not the why. I have realized that no one has faith in "fact" anymore. The sources that I turn to looking for something objective are full of biased language. If we don't know what is real, how do we talk about the why? How can we consider anything as a moral question when we cannot agree on the thing about which we propose to reflect?
The oceans are sick. And so we are sick, obvi. Environmental illness is real. Understanding the effects of global warming is essential. It's an invitation to become more conscious - of how I impact the earth in my daily life, and how the earth is affecting me. And how I have to care for myself better in this changing, aching planet, to account for the extra toxins we are all dealing with. The truth has legs. It will set you free. Surrendering to the truth of this is healthy. We can't live in denial. Our awareness and collective action can and will heal ourselves and this earth.
It's hard to pick just one, because the world keeps seeming like a scarier place. The ones that most immediately jumped out at me were the Tree of Life shooting, which reminded me that antisemitism is alive and well, and not just as a dog-whistle, but that it is never really safe to be Jewish, even in this country that is supposed to have been safe for us (although it also provoked an opposite response in me, where I started practicing more, worshipping holy days, and attending prayer services, like I was more determined than ever to be Jewish). That and the separations and detentions of immigrant families at the border, and the threats to revoke trans peoples' passports as fraudulent, all have me feeling like something like the Shoah could happen again, here. Parallel to and connected to the growing march of fascism, is the horror of climate change. The fires that were started in the Amazon, as a way of forcibly taking indigenous land for capitalist gain, and the knowledge that the earth's lungs were burning with that forest, was the most visceral reminder that we are baking ourselves alive, smothering ourselves to death, starting with the most marginalized of us. It's been hard to feel like there is hope.
I could say something about Trump here . . . but I'm done playing that game. He doesn't get to have "the world," not for every answer, not for every year. Instead I'll say it was a personal experience that arose from the wonderful fact that a woman in a wheelchair won Best Supporting Actress at the Tony Awards. I was floored by the performance that she gave and so overjoyed that she won. The next day a friend who herself has a disability shared the news on her Facebook page, and I commented to say that I found this actor to be so brave. My friend, with kindness and love, let me in to the fact that the word "brave" is a trigger for her community, that it signifies pity and "othering" to them. This interaction sent me through a series of reactions that was a powerful learning experience for me. On the one hand, I felt I was being misunderstood. I wasn't saying, "Oh she's so brave to exist in a wheelchair" but rather "she was so brave to sing out, at top volume, a cappella at the Tony Awards, with all the commitment, power, and spirit a voice can possibly have." But of course, that wasn't what I said. I went through what Brene Brown calls the Shitty First Draft of reaction, where I felt the problem was with how I was being interpreted. But then I let myself gut-check that, and admit that that's not how I want to be in the world, that's not *listening* and *hearing* what is being told to me by a person about their experience. I took another look at the situation and came to admit that although I had not meant to be offensive, my ignorance *had* caused me to say something offensive, and for that I owed an apology. I could also specify what I admired about the artistic courage of the performer. But it was really important that I hear, understand, and acknowledge what I was being told by my friend. The word "brave" is used to belittle and oppress people like her. So, be sensitive to that, and stop participating in it. Definitely do talk about what makes performers great, including performers with disabilities. But do so with sensitivity. And, be open to correction. This was a hard but good moment for me, a time to practice having gotten something wrong and put some actions where my words are regarding recalibrating myself, taking correction, and changing myself for the better. I'm so grateful to my friend for taking the time, not to mention stepping into the vulnerability I know it takes, to say something to me. That was a gift that she gave me, that insight. She gave me the opportunity to become a better person by pointing this out with kindness and love. That's nothing that she owed me, and it is something that I cannot repay. I can only be grateful for it, try my best to learn from it as well as I can, and try my best to follow her example and be in the world with kindness and love, even in the face of ignorance and protective ego. Of course I wish that this could be the last time I need to learn a lesson like this, but I know it won't. I hope I can do as good a job of learning this lesson each next time that it happens. Good intentions are not protection from doing wrong. But they can help you heal and grow away from what you've done wrong, if your intentions really and truly are good.
Learning about plastic waste more and shifting my consumption of items containing it. buying metal straws, using the same utensils for to go items, glass or ceramic cups for tea and coffee. :) I also am very encouraged by the youth and their want to save the environment.
There have been many; but this year I think that the attacks at Synagogues throughout the country, the antisemitic graffiti found in Jewish Cemeteries, the growing "BDS" movement, and the general increase in antisemitism has been really hard to watch/witness. I think that in some way it has impacted me greater because of how I was attacked/assaulted in Israel by Muslims in the Old City when I was there last. Also my growing affinity and alignment with Judaism has caused me to identify more and more as a Jew, so it all seems so personal. Secondly, I have really watched Israeli news, politics, and events this last year closely, and became very invested in the election outcome--which is still going on...I have a growing concern with what happens in Israel, it's all personal now.
The mass shootings at the synagogues in Pittsburgh and California. This affected me in that it brought to the public that even a house of worship isn't even safe, regardless of religion. Additionally, it has also clearly shown to me that antisemitism is sadly becoming more common.
There is not one event, but the sum total of many. They only serve as a reminder that I need to be stronger than ever before..not only in conviction but in persistence, strength and understanding of what He wants of me. The world is going down a path that ultimately results in a final judgement. I need to be ready.
I'd say my answer it the same as last year: the plethora of natural disasters and the number of people who are not worried about them. The climate is changing - we need to take note.
We are still living in a dystopian hellscape. I am more and more pessimistic about the state of the world and its future when I see how many people still support the president. He has committed treason and openly asked foreign governments to assist in investigating political opponents. He has threatened civil war if he's impeached or not reelected. And Republicans are almost silent. It's incredibly disheartening.
Whelp, our president is sticking his foot in his mouth and about to be impeached. When I read this next year I hope I have good news on that front, but for now it is literally like watching a train wreck. By which I mean, bring me the popcorn, I hope no one innocent is injured.
I can't pick any one event. Everything just seems to be on fire all the time, and no one thing stands out any more than any other.
We just felt both lucky and saddened because many places where we have been traveling this year was impacted very soon after or soon before: the bridge in Italy, Lombok earthquakes and tsunami, the agressions at the Corcovado, the killing in Christchurch... And this is a just a fraction of what happened in the world this year. We are ruining our world in a very conscious manner and most of us prefer to deny it rather than being accountable for it. I'm happy awareness is slowly raising but truth is that it stays a minority and we need much much more. This is also confirming my vision that we are safe nowhere so better live your best life.
Trumps impeachment began during these days. It restored some of my faith that we live in a democracy. Because in a fascist regime there is no impeachment possible.
There are virtually no world events that impact anyone personally. Just this month I came to the sudden realization that the whole population of earth lives in a chronic and unhealthy state of paranoia and fear fed by the mechanism of a 24-hour news cycle and perpetuated by social media. As a species, we have traded peace and relationships and communion with God for the constant drip of dopamine that comes of shooting up the drug of Facebook Likes.
My country's election. I mean firstly it affects me very directly. In my line of work, who's in power determines whether or not I get to do something I believe in, or something that I hate. And this time round, again, it's something that I hate. I'm doing so well, my bosses love me, but I just feel this quiet dying of my soul as I become more cynical and jaded about the things my organisation is involved in. And maybe that's one reason why I'm switching off from the big picture, too, I feel guilty about who I'm working for but I also feel lost about what else to do. I think as well, the election loss really taught me that we liberals can just be so damn naive. Our imaginary just worlds are so beautiful to us that we forget that many people just don't see what we do. We lost an election that we shouldn't have because our dreams were too radical and complex and it scared people. We have to find a way to speak to people that is compelling, and for the most part not frightening, while remaining authentic. And I honestly don't know what that is.
The Trump presidency is a constant grinding. I almost completely stopped reading the news because I just couldn’t handle it. I’ve started reading the NYT again, but I’m not back to my earlier levels of activism. In the metaphor (which I love) about activism being like a choir, I’ve been taking a too long breath.
Unfortunately needing to be in my own little world this year as much as I had to, has led me to not interact with the world events as much as I would have in the past. The impeachment, the rise of anti-Semitism, the upcoming election, gun violence in our schools, and bullying have all Swirled around me, but has not affected me as I think it would have in the past, or I would like it to in the future.
Christine Blasey-Ford’s testimony at the Kavanaugh hearing was a major moment in this year- it’s one of the few times I can recall all of the people I know gathered around and watching the same thing, all we talked about that week. It was a day of so many emotions- witnessing her incredible courage, hope that her testimony might have an impact after a year of big accusations but little real change, and crushing disappointment when no real consequences resulted. “Indelible in the hippocampus is laughter.” What will it take to create real change against sexism, sexual assault, and monoliths of power?
I have recently dug into the immigration crisis/situation happening in the US right now. I have ignored the situation because it's much easier to do that when it's not directly affecting you than it is to delve into it and face it. I truly, desperately need the Trump administration out of office. I feel so deeply saddened and powerless. I'm wondering how I can help. I want to help. I want to fix this.
The nightmare for immigrants in this country - especially those at the border who have been separated, with children being treated like the worst kind of slime is haunting to me..the trauma being created -- CREATED -- by my own government...by ME. And I'm upset in part because what am I doing about it? I am still so comfortable in a beautiful house with plenty to eat, with good medical care, able to call or see family whenever I want. This is no different than how my family was treated as Jews in Nazi Germany. I have an obligation to help, as a human, and as someone who understands how this breaks and harms people. I feel a huge obligation to help but all I've done so far it donate money and attend a rally. I signed up for BIJAN and we did host Edna, although funnily enough, she was not in that kind of situation and came to them through a fluke -- and even with her, she expect us to keep helping her, to find work etc, and I tried, but unsuccessfully...I feel like I'm being complacent.
My son being more aware! It has made him even more of a joy to be around and so loving!
Trump, Trump, Trump. How can anyone escape the negative influence of his presidency? And yet some lessons are being learned. PC presidents are not a far better solution, either. We need leadership, not just academic bureaucratic conformity.
The spectre of Trump keeps running the world stage. Always thinking, maybe this time the crooks has finally been caught and exposed?
The event that impacted me most significantly was the mass shooting at the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh. It was the first time I truly felt unsafe as a Jew in America. And it also made me realize how much of my Jewish upbringing I took for granted. In the aftermath, I couldn't stop picturing my parents, their congregation, and all of the members of our community in the place of the actual victims. Because, in a sense, the victims WERE my community. I found myself feeling so grateful for the sense of community and security my Jewish community had engendered. That night, Mishkan held space for Chicago Jews to grieve, and I went and sang and cried and prayed with a handful of others. I think it was the real beginning of my involvement in the congregation. That horrible day, I realized how much I needed Jewish community, just like a plant needs soil to grow.
Ugh. Donald Trump is still president. This has shaken me to my core, with how much I hate this man. But we're finally moving into impeachment hearings (perhaps 3 years too late). The world feels increasingly dangerous and unstable. Especially with climate change looming. I worry we haven't done enough, or aren't doing enough. Yet I still fly on airplanes. I still use the A/C in my apartment until it's freezing. Am I a bad person? I am paralyzed by fear when I think of the world at large. Yet I recognize how incredibly lucky I am just to be here.
The Cavanaugh hearing made me really worried for my kids future.
This was the warmest June on record globally. Grandmom Faye was complaining about how hot it was in Köln (which takes a lot), and it truly was very hot. (But not to me.) Global climate change exacerbated by people is becoming very slowly and very gradually more obvious...but by the time we actually see it in our own lives, it’ll likely be too late to change, stop, or reverse most of its effects. Not a lot else from the world at large reached me personally. I’ll try to think of things before the vault closes, but as I initially write...I don’t know!
In a word Trump. I keep thinking he can't get worse and I am always wrong. It's hard for me to understand how the Republicans can close ranks around him. It makes me feel like we are a soulless society and that makes me sad. I find myself seeking escapes and fighting becoming cynical; hope must prevail. Get involved, monitor your elected officials, write, call! Be heard.
Trump's presidency in general. Specifically, the lying, disregard for others, and bullying. Seeing these behaviors displayed daily has laid bare for me the choices that are available to us in our everyday thoughts and behaviors, and helped me to reflect on what values are most important to me. Rather than remain in a state of horror/outrage about the parts of current political life that I find soulless, I'm working on focusing my energies on believing and investing in the personal and collective values I hold most dear.
I read the other day about permafrost melting in Siberia, which is warping the land. It's disrupting agriculture, and creating an exodus of people. https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/2019/national/climate-environment/climate-change-siberia/ For some reason, this, more than microplastics and sheering ice shelfs and intensifying hurricanes, has moved me into a new level of fear and awareness. Of course one of the major effects of climate change will be that millions and possibly billions of people have to leave their homes and settle elsewhere. I just hadn't fully considered it until I read this article. It feels like the promise of a dystopian future -- the Haves won't make room for the Displaced and the Have-Nots as they flee for their lives.
Currently, as I’m writing this, there are impeachment inquiries for Trump. He has talked with the Ukrainian president and appears to have to have threatened withholding foreign aid. However, investigations are continuing. This could impact who leads my country if this proceeds. I don’t enjoy watching politics much of the time, but do pray for our leaders. I pray for justice and that Trump and others can know Christ. I pray for justice as necessary and already know that God knows what happened and the state of mind of everyone, so I’ll just rest in that.
The climate change March. The kids. Crushed me. How have we failed so badly that they need to take to the streets when they aren't even voting age.
I'm starting to think more about the immediate impact of climate change. Do I want to have kids if our planet is dying? Is it worth saving for retirement if there isn't going to be a world to retire in to? It all is so much more immediate now.
Trump has pretty much destroyed our country I don't know what to do if he is reelected.
Unfortunately, the same as last year: No specific event. However the continuing rancor, bigotry, and xenophobia in our most public officials and citizens is appalling and tiring. I find myself sometimes avoiding the news even though I know that "playing ostrich" is not good.
Trump. Still. At least he's going to be impeached! Hopefully he's also removed from office. Ideally so will Pence. A Nancy Pelosi Presidency might be pretty cool.
The rapacious and criminal presidency has caused me great anxiety and a sense of out of control hopelessness. I simply have no frame to make this criminal take-over less frightening. It seeps into my worries on nearly every topic.
Brexit and the surrounding debate. It seems to be a clear indicator that the world is becoming more fragmented, and people are not learning how to work together, but are pulling away from each other.
The rise of mass shootings, to include antisemitism. I don't understand the power of lobbyists to put safety before background checks AND the sale of guns at local gun shows across the country. I'm glad I'm retired from education; teaching children to hide from a shooter is insane.
I was so impacted by the wildfires in the North Bay. Something about the smoke choking our air here, so many miles to the south, made the impact of climate change so much more real, imminent, and personal. There was no escaping the poisoned air; I could feel our vulnerability as a human race so distinctly.
I don't think there's one event I can pinpoint. The political situation in my country causes everyone I know to have a constant, low grade thrum of anxiety running every day. I'm cautiously excited about the impending impeachment inquiry, though I don't feel entirely optimistic about the potential results.
When the roof of Notre Dame burned I was devastated at the thought that such an historic place could be gone in hours.
It seems like the last year has been one long impactful event. Democrats did retake the house, but so far the Senate has prevented any real action. The White House is embroiled in continuing scandal and the Cheetoh is facing impeachment. Worsening storms highlight the growing impact of climate change. Sometimes I do wonder how this country will stay intact.
Climate strike- I felt more connected to others in MN and also in the world.
Shootings, crazy politics, hate speech - all that becomes every day -it isn't that it doesn't impact me, it does all the time - but it is the personal decisions and events that have affected me more and that is our decision to move to Mexico. It may have been the results of everything -but ultimately it was personal. How to continue to live in a country that spreads so much hate -and fear. So next year it isn't Jerusalem, rather it will probably be Tijuana.
The fifteen year old railing about climate change irritates me. Climate change is inevitable. Humans are unique among species in their ability to resist rather than adapt. We should be innovating and learning resilience rather than railing.
Trump. Immigration. Children in camps. It was/has been a slow moving train wreck with so many lives forever scarred. Also, the environment. I went to the Border (after initiating the idea at Temple Isaiah) and am involved with our social justice teams to do what I can, including environmental action stuff....and like last year, can't wait until he's impeached, although thankfully, the impeachment process has begun! So scary that there are hard core Trump people who don't understand how incompetent, seriously narcissistic, corrupt and dangerous this guy is. I find that very scary and depressing.
When I think about the Pittsburg shooting I vividly remember being in shul that Friday night. It was Art Shabbat and there were teens painting up on the bimah and lots of little kids. It made me think in a new way, I may not be a Jew yet but I am still here with you. I’d be sitting right here if they came in shooting. The next Shabbat the shooting was all we could talk about. We said Kaddish for the seventeen people who died. As the rabbi spoke about antisemitic violence, I watched a little boy play with the kippah on his grandfather’s head, taking it off and putting it on again.
Donald Trump continues to be a blight on our country and on the world. It has made me embarrassed but has continued to motivate me to stand against him and other injustices that have perpetuated in his wake.
I can’t think of an event per se, but the first thing to my mind is the me too movement. I appreciate that it’s encouraged dialogue to make our society safer and better.
This year saw two shootings at Jewish places of worship, signs of a rising amount of antisemitism and white supremacy. I had been of the opinion that antisemitism was something that I did not have to worry about, but clearly I was so wrong. There is so much community collective action happening around immigrant justice and environmental justice, both within the Jewish community and in wider American society. I am inspired by the ways people and Jews are using their values to guide their actions and fight for a more just world. I want to do more in the coming year to join the fight.
Christine Blasey Ford’s testimony. I learned that people can spin any narrative they want; that no one truly believes s/he is evil or doing something wrong; that our society needs a good reckoning.
I can't think of one event per se, but the general terrible political environment, the Trumpification of America, has given me a lot of anger and heartbreak and emotional exhaustion. Over the last couple of years, it's gotten to the point where I try to avoid exposure to the news. (I hate that I get most of my news from Twitter! Like, I am embarrassed by that.) But at the same time, the resistance or backlash to the Trumpification has given me a lot of hope, a lot of faith in humanity.
As I reread last year's answer, I feel the same. Trump has learned to exercise the power of the presidency and it is worse than ever. And yet a lot of people stick by him and think that he is doing a good job. Meanwhile he is destroying people's lives, destroying the power of this country, mainstreaming hatred and bigotry and bullying. How much worse will it get in the year to come as we move toward the 2020 election? How can the churches accept this behavior? They used to ask "what would Jesus do?" but no longer. Why don't Republicans show some backbone and take back their party? How can they support what is happening when it is the opposite of everything that they used to stand for? Have we become so soft like the Roman Empire that we are ready to collapse? The generals like the all-volunteer military as it brings in better soldiers. But we have lost the concept of sacrifice for our country. Our patriotism is thin. Our younger generation are tied to mommy no matter where they are around the world. Would a universal draft or national service help?
I don't know that I could answer anything but the shooting at Tree of Life Or L'Simcha. Squirrel Hill is my home. I knew those faces, I'd seen them for years, they were my friends' family. The streets I've walked on countless times were on every channel of every news station. Hate came into my home. Temple has put into place different systems in case someone decides to continue to spread their hate. Squirrel Hill is covered with reminders from knitted Jewish stars hung on trees to "Stronger than Hate" posters in every window and on every yard. My last vestige of feelings of safety is gone.
Climate everything. Not an event so much as a reality. I vacillate between being overwhelmed with doom and feeling like there is nothing I can do that will make a significant enough impact for me to even just not be complicit (especially when my existence makes me complicit), and feeling somewhat comforted that even though I can do nothing to prevent the eventual loss of orangutans, elephants, bees, and birds, perhaps I can help people become sensitive enough to the losses that mine isn’t the only heart that is broken. And, of course, our administration being completely void of humanity - denying refugees entry, encouraging shooting migrants, separating families at the border, mass detentions, mass incarceration... So many things in the world affect me. I barely know where to begin. And yet, I am protected from imminent harm. I’m not in proximity. I don’t witness the deaths or the pain myself. What I feel most, genuinely, is despair.
It is hard for me to recall everything from this year I think because we have an incessant din of media about all sorts of everything - there are no quiet moments against which the genuine newsworthy can pop. So while there may have been something else I am not thinking of but I can say that the Brett Kavanaugh confirmation hearings and Dr Blasey Ford’s testimony was surely impactful. Despite all of the me-too news items until that point, it was that hearing that really made me consider my entire relationship with boys and sex during my teenage and early 20 years. I was even a bit surprised at my conclusions. And aside from all that, nauseated that he is on the Supreme Court.
Donald Trump's trade war with China has impacted me in the last year by lower bank interest rates. I was able to secure a 3.75% loan over the course of 30 years as a result.
Pittsburgh. It made me realize how real antisemitism is in the US. I was rattled. As a whole though, I am a bit disappointed by how detached from the news I have become. I have not made room in my life for it since graduating. I work, exercise, and enjoy time with friends. Sometimes I read novels for pleasure, and I read the daily news briefing each morning. I want to add more to this list.
It wasn’t this year but Trump farty pants being president ~ can’t wait for him to bugger off xx Obama was lovely & seemed to have his heart in the right place, but Trump is an arsehole 😡 and he can go and do one. Brexit ~ If we’re going to leave then on good terms & I wish parliament would stop acting like children & grow up & get on with it xx maybe getting another uk vote to see if it’s still on the cards & then make happen what should happen xx I’m not a politician but that’s my opinion xx Also too many stabbings in London WTF get a grip people & seems to be being caused by foreigners! I’m not prejudiced or racist but this is not on. If they want to live in the Uk then they should behave themselves! xx 😡 And we abuse the earth still and use too much plastic ~ go Greta Thunberg give the people of the world some stick & make them squirm as nobody will change without feeling uncomfortable & having remorse for the way they’re treating our lovely planet 🌍 xx p.s I also need to look after the earth better ~ work in progress xx ❤️
Rocketman the movie. I loved it so much I saw it 7 times at the cinema. I loved it for its colour, charm and positive message. He beat his demons! The outcome was inspiring. Taron Egerton better win the Oscar. Love that man. Richard Madden, you are an extremely close second. What really impacted me besides the music, the handsome men and the simpatico of the film was the fashion, the Englishness, the quaintness of a time that is gone. It gave me happiness and joy.
There just isn't any one event. Simply the continued idiocy and embarrassment of our president. The imprisonment of migrant children at the border was particularly upsetting, but his incendiary language in general is all so upsetting.
We had our first mass shooting event in New Zealand this year. I knew we had Nazis in this country because I'd encountered them online, and my partner knew some in his small town many years ago, but I've never met any in real life. I never thought the chaos and terror in the US and Europe would come to our shores. It's been a rude awakening and made me more wary.
I continue to see and hear evidence of climate change, global warming. It is happening and the possible repurcusions for many people in the short term, everyone eventually, concern me greatly. I think there is great value in natural places and keeping them as they have existed for millenia. I hope we can collectively recognize this, stop putting personal profit ahead of all else.
Right now the Trump impeachment is all over the news. This example of our ever-present political animosity and potential national instability scares me. For the first time ever I see our country spiraling in a way that is frightening and uncertain and I wonder about the impact of this on my life and the lives of my children.
The Pittsburg shootings were really tragic and hard. Figuring out how to hold space for the particular sadness and hurt and fear with rising antisemitism without loosing sight of the privileges and benefits I and so many of my community hold with regard to racism, economic privilege etc... That's a thing.
Same as last year: Donald F-ing Trump. News of climate change worsening is overwhelmed by him reducing fuel standards and undoing the move to efficient light bulbs. Still, there are signs that people are waking up-- Greta Thornberg and Sunrise Movement make me have some hope. And, I do strongly sense that Trump effectively lowers the bar and sets us all back
The most major thing that has happened for me this year is the world beginning to wake up to the climate crisis. I've learned a huge amount in a short space of time, and increasingly it's become my top concern. I mean, what could be more important than safeguarding the future of our planet and our place on it?! I really don't understand why it isn't now the top priority for everyone in a privileged enough position to be able to worry about it! (And by that I mean anyone whose main concern isn't surviving day to day).
The past year has seen a plethora of juxtapositional circumstances-- climate change has caused global temperatures to increase, while the American Midwest experienced one of its coldest winters on record. The United States, “the leader of the free world,” held unprecedented talks with North Korea, “the leader of the “not-so free” world.” And just last fall, the United States witnessed the appointment of a man who allegedly committed crimes for sexual assault to the highest ranking law-mediating position in the country. All the while, I sat in the “room where it happened,” battling my own juxtaposition. On September 6, 2018, the nation watched as Brett Kavanaugh took the stand for his Congressional approval to the Supreme Court of the United States. Cory Booker had just finished glorifying himself, and I was sitting in the front row. The room was massive. Straight ahead, my lifelong icons perched themselves before me. Their faces stared solely at the man before them, illuminating him with a kind of gazingly spotlight. Beside me sat my three best friends, all as enthused as I and even more politically rambunctious. From their polyester blazers, their hot pink duct tape began to peel away and move itself over their mouths. They read: “Students v. Kavanaugh.” I froze. Along the seams of my coat, I felt the same smooth tape that awaited to be placed upon my face. However, I couldn’t do it. Why should I? My protests would do nothing to change the fact that a man I saw as a criminal was going to be appointed a Supreme Court judge, yet, neither would my silence. I was restrained by the very juxtaposition of my thoughts. Despite my anguish for never living up to the “freedom fighter protester” persona of which I set out to be that morning, I would have it no other way. From this experience, I learned more about my morals--why I do and do not perform certain actions. To use this event as a case study on my own reactions to the world around me, I discovered that, unless I can foresee a definitive result of my actions, I refuse to disturb the universe. Knowing this, I believe I am now more equipped to take this into account for all of my actions and think, “Am I really willing to disrupt everything around me right now? Who will it help? How?” All of this, as I shall continue to cope with it, is for the better and worse of my growing intellect and thought process going forward.
Amber Guyger murdered Botham Jean. Botham’s brother forgave and hugged Amber in Court. The judge gifted her Bible to Amber and hugged her as well. Botham’s father said he forgave her and could be her friend. And the bailiff stroked and fixed her hair. She got a 10 year sentence for murder, not manslaughter. The day after the sentencing, the main witness in the case was murdered. The lesson: immigrant black people need to be mentored as soon as they get here. They need to be de-cooned and educated about institutional racism. I was so ANGRYYYYYY...Now I am sad for them because what they are going to find out about this country will be a slap in the face.
The Bahamas were pulverized by Hurricane Dorian, but Miami was spared. It made me sad for the people in the Bahamas, grateful for our salvation, and very aware that everything is in the Hands of Heaven.
I was pretty happy to ignore the news cycle, but it's been super gratifying to watch the impeachment process. Kind of like only turning on the baseball game when your team wins. No regrets.
Politics and foresight are still extremely troubling. One must remain hopeful or all is lost.
The World Climate Change protest. I had never been to a protest before and have found it so empowering to unite the world and try to wake up its world leaders.
I have the same exact answer as last year - it feels like we are teetering on the edge of disaster, and it creates a huge shadow. My personal life is actually really good right now, so it's hard to square with what's happening.
The mass shootings...they all kind of blur together but especially the Gilroy shooting stands out (proximity), and the Pittsburgh synagogue shooting (Jewish community). They're so awful, every time, and it's frustrating that I can't do anything and our government isn't doing anything. I feel sad, helpless, and somewhat numb, to this pain that's so pervasive in the news.
In the world and this country, the encroachment of fascism is disturbing. There is no place, even Israel, to flee to. We must make a stand here. I contact my representatives more; I contribute to campaigns. I go to political forums.
Great Thunberg is my hero... she’s so fierce and fearless and determined and brave and all the things I want to be and want my children to be.
So many things in the world. The Syrian War continues for its 8th bloody year. Stalemate & threats with NK. Brink of war with Iran and between Iran and SA - or is it posturing? British govt censures its leader for disbanding parliament. In LA so many repressive and corrupt systems. But HK erupted in ongoing protests, led but not solely by the young - will that result in anything? Fred is connected to freedom movements around the world, and they support each other and learn from each other - and will that amount to anything? Protests again in Egypt against Sisi. The world erupts anad ebbs and flows and tried to live. My lifeblood is connected to them, but the pain of non-participation catalyzes protectionary choices of shutting out, down. How to come back to life?
Politics & environment still lead the world events for me, so the impeachment inquiry is foremost these days. The midterms found the Democrats taking the House, so impeachment looks likely; a Senate trial may be problematic in a GOP Senate. The effect on me is how I obtain my TV news. I enjoy MSNBC, but the strident negativity has become too much; we get most of our TV news from late night talk shows (Colbert & Myers), so while they are both pretty partisan, at least the news is delivered with a sense of humor. Looking at last year's thoughts about the rise of #MeToo makes me notice how more public figures are being held accountable for sexual harassment, but it didn't stop the (GOP) Senate from confirming Kavanaugh.
Greta Thunberg traveling to the US in a sailboat to go to the UN climate summit. It was incredible to see her anger and disgust at the general ion of incumbents who refuse to do anything meaningful to address climate change. I worry about this planet and I've actually been making many changes in our lifestyle over the past year. I'm using less plastic than ever, and while I have a long way to go, I'm slowly making my way to a zero waste lifestyle (plane travel and meat eating excluded so far).
The continued rise in hate-crimes and senseless shootings is alarming. I'm not sure how it happened that seemingly "overnight," in just a few years, it feels like the hinges of our society have come loose, and the basic truths we counted on are being called into question. I've never taken a stance on guns, but I can't afford to be silent anymore - this country has a serious problem.
Whenever my husband said Trump was done (Comey, FBI, the Ukraine affair), I just said “Guess what’s going to happen? Nothing. Nothing is going to happen”. Then Epstein supposedly killing himself in jail. Nothing. Nothing is going to happen.
The border issue has really gotten things crazy in the US and impacted me so much as a person of color and a Jew of color. Are we running concentration camps at the border? What am I doing to fight racial injustice? These things impact me deeply.
Me too. It brought back terrible memories of my being drugged and raped by a Harvard educated co-worker. I became obsessed with finding him and telling him what he did was not right. I can’t find him. Maybe karma got him.
Pelosi just launched the impeachment inquiry into Trump for asking Ukraine to investigate Biden. Bernie Sanders had a heart attack. Elizabeth Warren is picking up momentum, and Kamala Harris is losing momentum. The Kavanaugh hearings happened within the past year. I’m flabbergasted that people in our country and particularly in our Senate could watch those and still find him to be an appropriate judge for the Supreme Court. I feel so disappointed in our society that we value women so little. And we don’t recognize the incredible violence in rape and sexual harassment. I want something to change. I’ve had a few thoughts this year that I could take more of an activist role in creating gender equality. Work is a good place to practice that. I think i’m Tough enough to absorb blows in a bigger arena, though. To move toward the front lines so that things are better for Sarah, Beth, juniper.
there's been so fucking many this year i dont think i could even think of just one.
Climate change. It’s getting bleak.
So many more terrorist attacks against the Jews. In Israel and also many in America :( HASHEM PLEASE LET THEM END SOON. PLEASE. IT NEEDS TO END.
There is not specific event. Rather, there are the repeated attacks on the core of our democracy by our President Donald Trump. This is not about Trump’s policies. It is about his total disregard for the truth, and his total disregard for our political institutions. I feel like he is attacking, through his actions, the core of our democracy. Totally unprecedented in my life. I am surprised at the lack of outrage over his actions by so many people. Surprised more American leaders have not simply told him that his actions are totally out of bounds, and unacceptable. It show me how deeply divided the country is, and that also makes me fearful. We have serious problems including out of control health care costs, the education gap between rich and poor school districts, gun violence, climate change, and the immigration crisis. These issues require bipartisan solutions, but those are simply not available when both sides spend their time not only demonizing the other but not even to agree on the facts.
I feel like the negative world events have been nonstop this past year. One positive that sticks out is the mobilization of the Climate Strike and accompanying march. It gives me hope for the youth of the world to see so many people being willing to show up to demonstrate for a better treatment of the Earth.
Ugh. The disaster that is this administration continues to disturb me on an emotional level. Every. Day.
Went to a rally- marched in women’s march. Not my comfort zone. Did feel some old activism/co-op stuff kicking in. Do not think that I need to do another one. I can show social action in other ways.
My girlfriend cheated on me and I literally wanted her back. A friend made me understand that I need to love myself first. This event impacted how I viewed life because I began to reflect and saw that I had not be kind to myself and needed to love myself more. I have since started taking actionable steps to love myself, experience the world and heal
Everything Trump, obviously. But specially, when Stephen Ross, the chairman of the board of Related, the company that owns my gym, Equinox, hosted a fundraiser for Trump, raising $12M. I initially felt so grossed out by it all that I quit. I was even a bit self-righteous about it all. But then I went and tried out a couple of other gyms and realized that equinox was a huge part of my life (having been a member for over a decade). Now I'm feeling unsure about my self-righteousness. Trump has negatively crept into my life in so many ways, so why am I letting him creep into the small spots in my life that actually bring me joy - one of those being the gym. I'm torn.
The extremely rapid decline of democracy and honesty and integrity in our government has felt overwhelming and frightening, and I am unable to understand how so many people are going along with it or even supporting it.
I don't know where to start. Severe weather, ultra crazy politics, terrorist attacks, Brexit. It's just all too much. I can see where the world is heading, mind you it's been going downhill for a long time, I think what's really impacting me is how quickly things are moving. Euthanasia is a huge area and now they are including psychiatric illnesses. A guy, 54, with chronic depression decided he wanted out and out he went. I understand serious mental illness, I have it - BPD, anxiety, depression, trauma. I get how black things can get. I'm so sorry he didn't have what he needed to be able to continue living. He may have exited just as a helpful door was opening. No judgement - just sorrow.
The constant chaos of Trump's presidency and now (hopefully) his impeachment have bothered me greatly. Crisis after crisis. New scandal every day, with a host of lies. I'm kind of obsessed with the news and have to just turn it off occasionally. I sincerely hope we get rid of this bum before the damage to our democracy is irreversible.
Once again, everything that has happened with Trump it's something that is so surreal. It shocks me how shootings are still happening. It makes me not want to go to big crowds or events. I look for emergency exits whenever I go somewhere. I think about how I will run and escape an active shooter If I have my son in a stroller or Carrier. There seems to be so much hate in America and I feel like it is supported and fueled by this administration
Well, the 2018 election was much better than I could have hoped, and I feel -- terrified but maybe hopeful? about the future of the United States. Brexit continues to be a shitshow. I keep watching the Hong Kong protests and hoping China doesn't send in the army. We live in hideous times, but I'm sort of okay with floating in that, and doing my own work as well as I can (the 2018 election indirectly got me my job, after all), and holding on to see if we can pull out of the spiral.
The financial disfunction of the US and the world. Caused by the rich and connected protecting themselves at the expense of the majority is only extending the current bubble and exacerbating the inevitable crisis to unfold.
The political climate that we are currently under. Being brown and living in the Trump Era. Its like a free pass to racism. I have never feared for my life and that of my family, that is until now.
Natalie Lawhead's story about her abuse by Jeremy Soule. #metoo has been across the news for years, and has really affected a lot of art that I used to enjoy. But it has mostly been in passing. Oh, I won't watch The Usual Suspects anymore. That is not to make light of what any of these other people have done. They are all horrible acts. But none of their work was sacred to me. They were just works I enjoyed from time to time. But finally something was hit that was sacred to me. And not only was it the Elder Scrolls, it was the MUSIC of the Elder Scrolls, which is so impactful and literally a beating heart of the franchise. You cannot imagine Skyrim without its music. I haven't played Skyrim since. Not that I always play it all the time. But it would traditionally have been an escape for me in times of stress. And I've been going through a time of stress. And just sort of knowing it's not there for me anymore is bothersome and almost scary. And of all the things that have been ruined, that one stings the most.
The #metoo movement has impacted the way I look at every interaction, honestly, and I don’t know if that’s a good or bad thing yet.
I've lost track. Current events is a shitshow, and I've been limiting my exposure to prevent going into a depressive tailspin. If I had to pick based on what most affected me in a legibly non-meta sort of way, I suppose I can count that my relationship with my father is more broken than it's ever been following a really, really unfortunate argument about the Holocaust and ICE policies. We're not currently on speaking terms; it may very well have been inevitable, but JESUS H.
The containment of children and families on the borders is abhorrent to me. Not just because it is mistreatment and traumatic to the children but also because it is reminiscent of the Holocaust and separating children and parents. Of all the horrific things the Trump administration is doing, I think this is the worst.
The world is going to hell - mainly global warming and the politicians around the world. I think global warming and all the deception and lying that is going on. What happened to morality and ethics in government. I blame it all on Trump! I think I am particularly affected by the lunacy surrounding the immigration problems in this country. The idea that the government would separate children from the parents, not take care of those in its custody, and then be unable to figure out how to re-unite the children and the parents, seems like something we would be accusing another country of - for human rights violations.
I don't know that I can pick just one event. The entire political landscape at the national level gets scarier every day. At the same time I'm older and have all this wisdom, I have no idea how to function in a world in which people's rights are being taken away.
I am shocked every single day by our President, Donald Trump. I am still in disbelief that he got elected, that he is so cruel and uncaring to people who are poor, disenfranchised, from other countries, etc. I am shocked that there are people who like him. Shocked that he's fanning flames of prejudice and hatred. Shocked that he's asking leaders of other countries to investigate Joe Biden and his family. Just in utter disbelief with most everything he says and does.
Everything is terrible. And hearing all the terrible things every day sucks. It's terrible. I'm exhausted. It's defeating. My soul feels heavy. I'm in constant need of levity and want of distraction. But then I hate distraction, it's a bandaid and when the momentary illusion is over it makes checking back into the bullshit that much more… terrible.
I don't really keep up with world events, but one series of events that have trickled down to me and affected me have been the further attacks on Jews. There have been multiple shootings of Synagogues and Jewish events, as well as increasing hate for us in general. It's made me feel more pressure as a Jew, especially in the very conservative area that I live in, with but a few other Jewish people. I've found that more and more often I need to jump to defend us. People make jokes about the Holocaust like it doesn't even matter. They say, "It's just a joke," but the millions of people that died then, and the further people that are losing their lives now to the same hated aren't laughing. And neither am I.
More mass shootings. Honestly, this is a big factor in us deciding not to have a baby. Why bring a child into this dumpster fire of a world?
El año pasado en julio murió una de mis personas favoritas, Anthony Bourdain. Siempre creí que era un personas feliz pero el que haya sido encontrado después de su suicidio me pone muy triste. ---------------------------------------------------------------- Este año definitivamente la elección de Andrés Manuel López Obrador como presidente de México nos ha afectado mucho. Para bien y para mal. Pues ha representado un cambio importante en la situación de México, creo que nunca un presidente había causado una división tan clara entre los mexicanos.
World events are increasingly making me numb. I have no good feelings of hope towards our government and human kind as a whole. I can’t deal with the divisiveness of the country, that minorities and LGBT folk and women in general are all having our rights assaulted on a regular basis, and that our country treats immigrants as less than human. This country is not a place that I can feel proud of anymore. Meanwhile at a local level homelessness is at an all time high, and friends are leaving the area.
Warren is running for president! Her campaign has really given me hope for the future, as well as making me aware of many of the problems in our country that she is willing to (and has a plan to) fix. I am impacted by her as an inspiration.
I have hidden my face from the world this year. I stopped listening to the news on the radio and I largely stopped reading the newspaper and news magazine. Every time I would listen or look, everything seemed out of my control, and like our country and our world had gone insane. I decided to narrow my focus to the the huge changes in my own life, and to focus on the incredible love and healing that was filling my days and my nights with Hope.
The world is so fucking crazy right now. Gun violence, climate change and the denial of it, dictators acting in bizarre ways. I'm not sure there was one significant event, but maybe the shooting at the school in Parkland, FL was most significant. I'm so against regular people owning semi-automatic weapons. It makes no sense to me at all. I would like to go door to door and take them all and destroy them. It's insanity to not do it. Other events: the 2018 election in which many women took Congressional seats. This meant a lot to me and I believe the country will benefit. I can't even begin to say how horrible the past year of Trump has been. Every day, a new low. Immigrant families torn apart (he should be lynched for this alone), racism on the rise at his encouragement, environmental protections rolled back. He's done so many illegal things, and the Republicans just back him up. It's been an insane year.
A fairly recent one: the fires in the Amazon shook me to the core. I was always taught how important that rain forest is to the world, how it provides the majority of our oxygen, how fragile it is and how long it will take to restore, and so on. And now it's on fire because one narcissistic idiot of a president cares more about money than about the environment, diversity, indigenous peoples... And when help is offered, this idiot (pardon my French) declines because he sees it as colonialism. I know Bolsonaro is not the only one who doesn't care about the environment, but geez! And I thought Trump was bad news, now we have another one.
הפיגוע שהיה בכנסיה בצרפת בעצם אמר לעולם סטירה ופתאום שמים לזה לב
Brexit chaos. I felt the need to become British. In spite of the nonsense of this political fiasco, I do believe the UK is the best country for me right now in my life and I am thankful to be British.
Oh man so many events in the world have impacted me - the gerrymandering case that went to the supreme court left me hopeless about our democracy, our inaction on climate change makes me scared about our future and the world we are bringing a new human into, the politics in Israel and lack of innovation and movement on the conflict leaves me frustrating and depressed. I've definitely been emotionally worn down by global events. I don't know if it's living in DC, where these issues feel SO close, or working at Schusterman doing Israel stuff, or if it's the news barrage that exacerbates the crazy, or if it's just really a crazy time to be alive.
I can't think of anything specifically. In general there is the outrage over Trump. I think the thing that has bothered me the most (manifested on Facebook) is this awful witchunt whenever a perceived affront is detected. If you don't say the exact right thing, you are accused of being a bigot, racist, etc. I saw this happen over and over on the fat groups I was on and I can't stand it. If someone is new to the movement, or is trying to help, don't attack them for not knowing the right terms! Have compassion, educate them gently. And don't do this "emotional labor" bullshit at me. Either give advice freely or don't spend your time writing.
The brother of man shot and killed by police officer Amber... offering forgiveness and a hug to the killer. Example of showing and living faith. It's hard to do. I have forgiven those who have not been kind to me. Maybe that's why I can still have some kind of relationship with some of them and choose not to be in relationship with others. Doesn't mean you forget. Maybe there is less sting from the memory of the pain.
Brexit - SO SICK OF IT
I know that this took place in 2017, but it's carried through - Charlottesville. With growing outward racism, it makes me very concerned not just for myself, but for my daughter. Growing up Korean in a 99.5% white state, it was really hard for me. I dealt with racism every single day, but it's made me the person who I am today. I fight for what I believe in and stand up for others. Seeing everything that has happened since Trump was elected has been disheartening. Not only did I call the election, I anticipated the uptick in racism. I honestly can't wait for this nightmare to end. Maybe with this impeachment proceedings we can get somewhere, but I'm very concerned that he would try to suspend the Constitution. This is something that all people should be greatly invested in and concerned about.
All this stuff with Donald Trump. I really can't wrap my head around how people can support him. I feel that he is so destructive to our society today and into the future.
The massive floods, hurricanes, wild fires, melting, denials by our government. The world is drowning and burning and we aren't doing anything. That keeps me up at night, that propels me to do what I can to support causes and volunteer in environmental organizations and it puts me in a bad mood when I see that people aren't taking actions and we are treating the earth like it is disposable.
Climate change is very sad/scary. We started composting our kitchen waste. I guess every little bit helps.
La situación política-económica, con guerras comerciales, auge de la extrema derecha en Europa y en el mundo, el brexit, la posibilidad de recesión, … un mundo muy inestable, con valores subvertidos.y peligros crecientes. Me ha generado miedo el futuro, casi como cuando había una amenaza nuclear y era un niño. Me ha hecho sentir mayor también: sigue siendo mi mundo?
I feel emotionally invested in world events, but they have not, to date, affected me or my family on a personal level. We're not going to be deported, my marriage isn't being threatened, no one I know immediately has been involved in a school or other public shooting. Kavanaugh and #metoo is probably the thing that has struck closest to home, reminding me in a very visceral way, how many people truly lack empathy and understand the experiences of women.
I hope we stay in the EU.
The instability of the USA. Concentration camps. Our corrupt government. I'm on edge and wonder how long I should be staying here before something terrible happens.
I feel much more disconnected from the events of the world this year. It's not that I don't know, but that I've spent much less time acting on anything. It's all overwhelming and it feels like there's so little that I can do. I did go to the protest of the separation of immigrant children from their families. I can't believe we're keeping children in cages. It feels so much like the beginning of all of the Holocaust stories that I read and heard as a child and I feel powerless to do anything about it.
I continue to be concerned about the directions our country is taking. Of particular concern is the againstness I see in so many arenas. I pray the growing backlash will be movement toward mutual respect and understanding.
As Donald Trump's impeachment inquiry has ramped up, I'm both renewed in hope and skeptical about our political system. It's especially interesting to watch and read about it as a law student, with a different view and a potential interest in politics later on.
Georgia's new anti abortion law. I have a personal stance. It is my own opinion and my belief is that if states and federal govt start making laws telling women what they can and cannot do with their bodies or choices for their lives it will open a whole new level governments controlling the choices we personally make for our lives.
It seems like the general discourse about climate change has gotten much stronger and louder over the past year. It has really made me look at my behaviors and question whether I am doing enough to help, and it's made me seriously think about whether having children is the right choice for me or not.
Same as last year times thousands: Trump's election has made me feel desperate for the world, that he will bumble us into war, nuclear war, unforgivable environmental crises and the ruiner of whatever progress we have made in every arena. He will further destroy social justice, and his election makes me not want to live in America. This isn't the America I hoped for.
Has Brexit happened yet? Does it count as an event? Goodness. The world is on fire. Which event HASN'T impacted me? What about Joshua Brown's assassination just days after he provided key testimony in Amber Guger's trial? What about the Indian general election? What about the fact that the Amazon is LITERALLY ON FIRE? Why have these things affected me? That's a stupid question. These things affect all of us. How have they impacted me? Well, I'm no longer just angry. I am implementing change in my life, locally and independently. More than that, though, these travesties remind me of my privilege in being able to learn about and discuss them. It is my duty to raise these issues with those folx who don't think they're significant... but at the same time I need to learn to listen. What other issues could be halted if folx listened to them before they became crises? Whose voices am I overlooking or not hearing because I'm too busy yelling about things that are already at crisis stage??
It's hard to pick one thing. We live in ridiculous times right now. Maybe this question was more interesting before 2016, ha. I could say the release of the book Trick Mirror, because it's the best fucking thing I've read in 2019. Puts me in an inquisitive headspace about the different role-expressions of femininity that I unwittingly channel. Also, the planet is burning.
There is not one specific event, but the increase in anti-Semitism in the world has certainly given me a lot to think about in my parenting. I grew up in a very Jewish area where even in my diverse high school I never had to think twice about anti-Semitism directly affecting me. Now I need to be sure to instill the proper values in my children so they know how to live in this scary world!
It's hard to pinpoint one event that impacted me because it feels like this world has devolved into a chaos of daily crises. I guess the midterm elections gave me a little bit of hope for some change, but then the Mueller report came and went, leaving no change. The impeachment investigations are getting started now and I am left with this feeling of futility, like it's better not to get your hopes up or engage in it because it will likely fizzle too. And I'm already exhausted from the presidential elections and they are more than a year away!
The shootings in Texas and Ohio. We are at a tipping point in this country where we can no longer ignore or look away from the ugly truth. Our lives depend on it literally. There is the ugly pall of racism, classism, sexism and any other “ism,” that we can name that has been festering for centuries and has now erupted. We can’t move forward in a healthy way until we can go deep and sit in the painful truth of the history of this country’s founding, history and inequality. Laws can change but that doesn’t change mindsets.
Surprisingly, Trump's presidency has affected me, even though I am a Canadian! Who would have thought this time last year that I would have married an American and moved to Texas? I would have laughed out loud at the suggestion! And yet, immigration policies have now affected me, not allowing me to work for longer than previously would have been the case. I am SO privileged to have had 6 months' worth of savings to be able to live through this time and to have a master's degree that will get me employment as soon as I am legally able to work. I am so aware of the lives of immigrants now, both because of my previous work, and because I am now an immigrant, too. I am incredibly aware of my privilege - skin, socioeconomic, education, age. I can negotiate this shift much more easily than others.
The continued loss of life at the hands of people with assault-style weapons. Watching the growing division in our country over this subject - and the lack, on the part of too many people - to have a productive dialogue about it, has been saddening. I don't know how to make it better, but as I move forward with the aim of entering politics, it's something I continue to consider.
Really starting to process and think about the effects of climate change — on my lifetime — and wondering about the changes I can make that will yield small contributions, whether that be financially, or in switching to more sustainable products and reducing my own waste.
I have noticed a worldly trend. Not an event per se, but surely a mindset that the world has adopted. And people are noticing it everywhere. And we did it to ourselves - defensive, special, feeble, exceptional, ignorant. I have so many theories about how this will turn. How this lack of responsibility and lack of personal strength impacts emotional mental health, how it impacts future success, how it impacts ones ability to raise families and successful children. How honestly, it impacts ones ability to be happy and generous and honest and kind. I don't think anyone saw that coming - I was raised with the "new-age" attitude "you do you boo! #noregrets This is your life, you do with it what you want!" which, like we thought at the time, so positive and accepting. But what we didn't see was the outcome of selfishness, a general inability to see other peoples point of views, an "acceptable" hatred of people who choose a more traditional life (and Christianity), a lack of drive to push through challenges or seek good challenges, an inability to accept and cope with tragedy, and overall - depression. What? Yes. Suicide rates have increased - and I think people are depressed/suicidal because they have only learned to live for themselves. And if there is nothing greater than you to live for, what's the point? Where's the drive? It's isolating and pathetic being the most important thing in your world. And if you do everything possible to fulfill yourself - what happens next? How fulfilled are you really? Empty. All throughout history people like that were always empty. I am curious to see how that modern mentality morphs and changes the things people hold important. How it changes the way people live and what they value.
I think the US is in a very strange place right now. We're being terrible to people who want to come here, our own birthrate is slowing, the middle class is losing money, unions are declining, and mass shootings are becoming more common. I hope it gets better.
Honestly, I have been really apathetic to what is happening in the world. I know I shouldn't be, but I have pretty much shut down politically as I focused on myself. I know that is incredibly privileged and selfish, but I couldn't handle anything else. That said, we have had asylum seekers in Tucson from Central America. It has been heartbreaking.
Watching the deterioration of our government. I am continually disgusted by the "performance" of our "leader" and his cronies. I remember a time when the political parties worked TOGETHER and didn't try to tear each other to bits. I remain hopeful that our Democracy will survive, though there are times when I fear for our country.
The immigration and border situation trouble me and what troubles me even more is my lack of involvement to fight this or any issue.
I don't remember a world event that really impacted me, which seems quite selfish really.
Hard to pick. Migrant kids in cages is an image that’s hard to forget. But in terms of impact on my life, very little besides emotional impact. Which is a reminder of privilege and isolation and has raised questions with me about whether I should be taking concrete steps to lead a more moral life.
This year the Mueller investigation ended, but the conclusion was somewhat of a letdown. But with the whistleblower complaint of Trump's phone call with the President of Ukraine, impeachment is gaining momentum. The whole process has been a mental drain for me and most of the rest of the nation.
Woof - the impeachment inquiry has been something else. I worry about what comes next.
When Greta Thunberg spoke about Climate Change this year, it finally hit me and I've been consciously thinking about how I could better myself for the world.
The Bay Area fires last year. It was terrifying. Apocalyptic. It really shook my sense of stability. What do you do, when things like that change? It's outside your control. I am really scared of what the world will be like in the future.
Hurricane Dorian's tremendous destruction on the Bahamas. Sadly there are too many climate change deniers and I fear there will be many more disastrous weather events.
The continuing strife that the president keeps egging people on and the lies that he continues to spread. The world is being divided instead of getting together to work on climate change, the greatest threat we all face today!
There's been a huge increase in anti-Semitism with synagogue shootings in Pittsburgh and Poway, among other anti-Semitic incidents. It's been scary, especially as a person who works in a synagogue and spends a lot of time there.
Tromp continues. I have no energy to even go into depth on his lack of depth.
The rise in mass shootings in the U.S., especially racially motivated ones, is startling. Given the unlikelihood of the government enacting any real protective measures, it has made me seriously consider for the first time how long it makes sense to stay in this country. Given the stats in addition to the government's inability to do anything real, is it now on us to make decisions like moving? Am I materially endangering my family by continuing to live in the U.S.? New Zealand made wholesale change to gun laws immediately...
I had a dream in which I was in a mass shooting. Really, I was in a series of shootings. Every time I was safe from one, I was endangered by another. This dream made me realize that being in a shooting is a true concern of mine. It seems like, just the way the US is(n't) functioning, the chances are high that I will be in one. I think that says a lot about the impactful events of this year.
Legalization of marijuana in california - has made it an accessible option for dealing with migraines, anxiety, for fun, etc.!
This calendar year, 2019, we've had 334 mass shootings, 385 people killed, 1342 wounded, 8 of those took place at a school or university, 2 took place in a house of worship. This makes no sense. There is no logic there. I'm dumbfounded, I feel helpless and paralyzed by the sheer size of the problem. It's too much, too big, too scary.
The increase in mass shootings has me scared, but not enough to change my behavior in the types of places I go. But I have noticed a heightened awareness when in public settings. The thought of how I would need to react based on whether I am with my family or not is sometimes on my mind.
Unfortunately this year I have felt incredibly overwhelmed and hopeless by the state of the world at large. I keep working in my community but I wish I could do more. I need more community, more togetherness, more mutual aid.
The impeachment inquiry affected me because I watch it on tv a lot.
Brexit. Can I stay? Can I do Erasmus? Will everyone have to leave? Do we need emergency kits? It's a clusterfuck and it doesn't feel any better here in England than in America.
I barely read the news. I hear about some things. I've been following the Hong Kong protests and repressions somewhat. i feel inspired and angry and in awe at the numbers of people protesting. People really know what matters to them. It also brings up fear; what if I were living in that kind of state. What am I grounded in? Philly just made a move towards a safe injection sight that would be radical and save lives. I am wokring actively on my understanding of drug use, users, and empathy.
Greta Thunberg's passion for sounding the alarm about climate change. I've never seen so many young people around the world care about any one thing, and I think the momentum she's started isn't going away. I only wish it were taken as seriously by politicians as the students take it.
America seems like it's falling apart, and while 45 isn't completely to blame, he is the symbol of every bigoted, greedy, hateful POS out there. I feel like our experimental country might have run its course. Maybe humanity as well.
I very much follow world events but I have been in my emotional bubble a lot. Israeli elections for world - still waiting to see how this will effect us all for "the second time". I was very hurt knowing about what happened in Riverdale, in a Modern Ortho. school, that the Assistant principal, very well respected, was outed as a predator. I mean I am "glad" it is being taken care of but I cannot fathom people like this and all the pain it is causing to so many people.
This year there were a number of mass shootings that really made me feel sick inside. A synagogue in Pittsburgh, PA and a mosque in So Cal. An outdoor concert in Las Vegas, and a border town shooting at a Walmart in El Paso. Gun violence has not quite reached the fever pitch that would have our citizens demand that our government does something to better control access to guns. But it seems to be getting closer with each shooting that affects folks in the red states. Sickening that so many have to die for this to happen, but perhaps we will eventually get there. This is just one small bit of how our government's sick, partisan behaviors causes me real concern for the security of our democracy. I heard an interview yesterday where a former CIA chief was asked how he would describe the stability of the US as if it were a foreign country we were assessing. His answer - unstable democracy, based on both corruption in the government and wide differences among the populace. Scary.
I’ve been largely tuned out from the world this year and it’s one of the things I DON’T feel good about from this past year. I think about all the immigration and refugee crises around the world, but the biggest event is the ongoing global warming and climate change crisis we’re all facing. I feel an internal slow build towards considering this the most important issue we face today on this planet. My trip to Colombia at the beginning of the year was instrumental in this increased consciousness. I have been more mindful of my consumption and waste practices, ordering far less online as a form of resistance. I want to live with integrity in terms of how I personally engage with the planet, and there are more steps for me to take. I can be even more mindful in my consumer and waste practices, I can invest time and money into helping us turn this around.
Right now Congress has officially undertaken an impeachment inquiry into the President of the United States. Even though he has done so many terrible things and seems untouchable so far, I really am taking this scandal with an air of quiet patience. I think justice will be served, because the audacity of the crimes and disregard for the law was so flagrant that it seems the crash and burn is nearer and nearer every day. Stephen Colbert was of the opinion that the President should not be impeached, and rather that vindication would come as a result of voting him out of office. I can see the point to that in the case of the Russia investigation. So I am actually feeling grateful for this unambiguous abuse of power exposing who the President and his cronies really are, and who they have been all along.
I’m still reeling from the election of the 45th US president. He gets worse every day, I am horrified by him.
The decriminalization of entheogenic plants. The decriminalization and the work that my friend Danielle does opened me up to a different way of existing this year. It sparked my relationship with Danielle and greatly expanded her world and work in it. And opened up new possibilities for my own exploration and I was able to do journey work with my brother.
I would say that the EVENTS in the world have impacted me in a somewhat negative way. Mass shootings, political squabbling, nervous economy, climate change --- it is so much! I think all these things are bombarding my thoughts. Some days I want to run away and live "off the grid." These events have provoked me and my husband to purposely pursue simpler living. We are planning to get out of the suburbs and buy a small property and live simply, growing more of our own food, use less social media, TV, and electronic devises. We want to just spend time outside, quiet down-time from our jobs. Living simply will be a good example to our friends and other too. I want to do what I can to contribute to the world as a kinder citizen to others and to the earth.
Immigration in the United States. the idea that children are being forcibly removed from there parents and then out into our crumbling foster care system slays me. We are keeping people in cages, and half of this country doesn't seem to care. Yes, people should try to enter this country legally, but sometimes there isn't time those trying to escape persecution to go through legal channels. And the number of immigrants the U.S. is currently accepting is diminishing.
This year there has been a lot of positive action for fighting climate change. Restaurants are stopping using straws, there has been a push to stop using single use plastic bags, and many marches for climate change. I'm glad to see these positive changes happening. Personally I've starting using reusable produce bags, grocery bags, beeswax covers instead of plastic wrap, and am trying to limit waste where I can. This is a good thing for the world and can only get better.
Trump, it just gets worse and worse and I can’t believe it.
I can't decide...I think the climate once again is an issue that gets louder and louder. My second art show, black-and-white, reflects the brevity of our existence. I suppose, though, when I think about how my life will be carried out, these truths about the climate feel like they must be addressed in some way. I don't know how..and I would like to remember that it doesn't need to be a direct impact- in fact, I can support a movement and other ideas that promote my values and have a larger impact that way than doing my own individual actions...but it feels loud enough to be calling me to move towards it. And be deliberate. And seek, and be a beginner, and trust that I can grow.
The Tree of Life Massacre. I feel it's more important than ever for me to be visibly Jewish. To stand up. To be a light in the world.
I think the biggest thing continues to be the moral crisis at the border. My heart is so broken and I feel so powerless. What is being done in our name by our government is so unspeakably cruel and I just don't know how we change it. How do we humanize people who have been systematically stripped of their humanity? How do we turn this around? Can we ever repair the damage that has been done? I don't know how I can let this take over my rabbinate, and I don't know how I can not. I feel ashamed of our community's relative silence. Though I have been to protests and been in the paper, I am still ashamed. I should be doing more. I must be doing more. I just finished reading Sheila Katz's excelend article on this, which I am putting here for posterity: https://forward.com/life/432805/for-the-sins-we-have-committed-at-the-border/?fbclid=IwAR2opOC-NHfl9a1Vxh-gBDD7CIZZIDJR9ZynYGGaSLS9_eDNoTlBn2DRPh8 and I'm going to make a donation to HIAs and NCJW right now. It's not enough, but it's something.
I just scanned a list of major events for the last year, and most things didn't resonate at all. Ever since Trump was elected, I've withdrawn from the news. The biggest thing this year has been news about climate change. I work as a nurse aide. One of my patients is 104. If I live to be 104, what will my life be like? I try to plan ahead for this kind of thing. I want us to move further north. Florida will be full of climate refugees. Then again, as a nurse, shouldn't I serve displaced people? Human beings have adapted to every imaginable kind of circumstance. We're persistent to a fault. But I feel so fucking robbed. I was so into climate change as a kid. I was in the progressive student union and got my college to adopt the use of biodegradable plastics. Now I feel like billionaires are killing the world and there's nothing I can do. I literally feel like I'm becoming a nurse so I can provide palliative care before I go. But my future's been stolen from me. I'm not the first or only person to feel that way. If it's my destiny to be born in a dying world than I just have to work with it as I can. I'm still going to avoid the news next year, though. No sense in torturing myself when there's work to do.
The Monday after the Tree of Life synagogue shooting, there was a miscommunication at my husband’s place of work (he works at a Jewish institution). I was immediately under the impression that there was an active shooter at his office. Within 2 minutes, the miscommunication was cleared up. Leaving my daughter’s school, I had to pull over to puke on the side of the road. I hadnt reacted much to the shooting until then. Every moment I worry now. I think about whether I will send my child to a Jewish school, camp, etc. I fear for my family just to walk through our synagogue doors. It is awful. We still participate in our community, but it feels different now.
While on my hike in Torres del Paine I felt the impact first hand of human neglect to surroundings. I had walked for a few days, and saw countless trees burnt, because one person decided to light a fire 8 years ago. It was quite different reading about it, I actually knew what to expect, but seeing the scale of it was very depressing.
Same as previous years. Growing bigotry. Trump, Brexit. Another big one is the Hongkong protests. This may affect my directly since I live in mainland China, and I will have to decide how much longer I can justify living here without feeling complicit. I love China but I hate the government policies of ruthless crackdown and control. Same with Xinjiang and the brutal oppression of the Uyghurs.
It seems to be just more of the same as the last two years. The divisiveness in the country, the political bickering, the not-very-social exchanges on social media. I don't know how any of this will change, but it certainly has soured me on much of society in general.
Mass shootings have gotten out of hand. In October of last year, shortly after the chagim, there was a shooting at the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh. It was terrifying and shocking. How could something like that happen in today's world (though I wish it were more surprising than it is)? I knew people in nearby synagogues who were terrified for their lives waiting to see if there would be any connected attacks. In the aftermath of this event, shuls everywhere tightened security and it hasn't changed. My shul now has an armed guard for every shabbat, and we have even tighter security for the High Holidays. It's a hard thing: tighter security can discourage some new people from trying out a new shul, but we also need security to make the daveners feel safe. How are we supposed to make that decision? Where is the line? WHY do we need to make that decision in 2019???
The horrible state of affairs with President Trump is awful. I am becoming more worried about a world with increased hate of the other and anti-semitism and how that may impact us. The continued gun violence and its prevalence around the country also terrifies me. I worry that if I don't say "good bye and I love you" to my children before they leave the house that I may not get another chance.
It feels like everything in the world is operating at a more intense level. Trump is now under investigation for impeachment, immigrants are still in cages and are dying, the earth is clearly in crisis due to climate chaos and emergency. I feel like the Tower card is in full swing... showing us all the things that are really falling down so we can create something new and healthier in their place.
I am only just now realizing how poorly women are treated in the world. I have a strong sense of feminism this year. Entitled white male privilege disgusts and saddens me. I want a seat at the table... I have earned it however I don't want to be at the table with the wrong people.
I've lost track of what's been going on with Trump this year, but something around that. I guess the recent announcement of impeachment proceedings? It's not so much one event as the onslaught of amazing corruption in a government I once, as a child, thought was ethical and great. At the same time, I've kind of numbed to the news and am not following details, because it got overwhelming--so I guess that's an example of world events impacting me by changing the way I relate to world events.
The fact that Kavanough became a Justice on the Supreme Court was a major blow this year. Watching the news and seeing that he is so clearly an entitled, scumbag rapist asshole -- and that there was no justice for his accuser -- sickened me to the core. Watching Christine Blasey Ford's courageous coming forward with her truth and her being grilled cruelly was beyond painful and beyond enraging. I know what is it like to be raped and abused -- and to feel powerless. Through witnesses this horrific media circus, I have been comforted to realize that I know my truth and can fully own it and put the shame back on my abusers. I know with confidence that I can speak up whenever and wherever I want -- to speak my truth openly and with bravery. In addition, this experience has definitely caused me to seek out more like-minded kinship(s) and to create boundaries for anyone who condones and excuses such perpetrators.
Thanks to my new job I am more aware of world events, especially international relations and current affairs. It's interesting how many elections happen around the globe in a year. I haven't started caring more about current affairs, but it's nice to be informed :)
Our friend passed away after a hard 6 month fight with cancer. In an unusual move, this woman who lived alone, enlisted her friends to be heavily involved, and we were frequently asked. She had a way of asking the impossible and having us say yes every time. She did not want to die but she died the way she chose, with the support of those around her.
The climate strikes and protests run by Greta Thunberg are a major worldwide event that have affected my life in major ways. She has raised my awareness towards the problem that our world is facing, and towards the fact that we likely have way less time than was previously thought to fix our world. Her speech’s have inspired me to pay more attention to what I do, whether it be recycling and composting, paying attention to how world leaders treat the climate, or changing who I buy products from, to try and get rid of some of the major contributors to the problem. My family has begun composting, and we will use the compost products to help grow our garde, or we will give them to our town, who collects the compost for their own use. I have also been making sure that I recycle things properly, and that I do not throw things in the trash that should be recycled or composted. These protests have impacted my life because I realize that I will be a part of the generation that will have to actually deal with the problem that started with the industrial revolution and is being continued right now. I do not want to live in a world with major problems that we create because of our race’s greed, and I do not want to be raising children in this world, when the time comes, if there’s a very high chance humans could go extinct before they have grown up. There are many people that do not care about the environment at all, but because of the reasons I have previously stated, and because of what I have learned at this school, I do care. This school has taught me that we are supposed to tend to God’s Creation, and treat all things with love. Polluting the environment is not loving towards nature, or towards the people whose homes are being destroyed by the impacts.
Over the last year there has been a noticeable global rise in antisemitic attacks, anti-Israel attitudes, etc. As a Jew and descendent of Holocaust survivors, it makes me feel anger and fear. It also has made me buckle down and really commit to my Aliyah and building my life here, and making my contribution to the state of Israel and Jewish nation. Israel needs to exist for this reason, to be a safe haven for Jews everywhere. It makes me want to improve my knowledge of Jewish history, Israeli political history, and current events, to be able to defend Israel against the “haters” to the best of my ability, and strongly defend my point that we belong here.
Brexit has been pretty awful. In all the ways. For all the reasons. The impact on me has been that I have lost all faith in the leadership capabilities of our politicians. What is even the point of them? What are they doing? It's all ego, ego, power and more ego. I've never felt so politically disillusioned or disengaged before. I've never felt so futile before either.
The rise of large antisemitic attacks has me feeling more than ever that I'm not doing enough to repair the world.
Climate change and Greta Thunberg blasting us at the UN Climate Summit. I am haunted by her serious face saying "We will never forgive you." I am repulsed beyond expression by the Drumpf con artist and his sycophantic enablers. I am impressed and inspired by, and fearful for, the Hong Kong protesters. The refugees on our southern border, locked in freezing cages, not given showers, water, medicine, children ripped from their parents, in a frenzy of sadistic glee on the part of the right... Black teenagers shot for no reason, by police. Lives destroyed by uneven sentencing. All the climate action and decriminalization and cooperation that Obama tried to join--too little, given his attempt to partially appease his bulldozer opposition, McConnell & Co--being undone and taking us to the brink (nuclear war, economic misery for millions, planetary destruction). The world is in a terrible state right now, with right-wing autocrats ascendent in the UK, Brazil, Hungary, Turkey, India, the Philippines, Israel, the US. But some are getting blocked in various ways. The optimist in me sees this as the nadir. After this, people will wake up, unite, try to get things done for good. We will realize that the planet needs our help, that migrants fleeing impossible lives deserve to be regarded as humans. To reject the "fantasy of eternal economic growth," as Thunberg said it, and begin to tackle the real problems. We have seen large marches for democracy (HK) and for women and for the planet. As a Jew, I read the Torah and see that there have been bad moments before. Prophets arise, people see the divine mandates, and things get better and people live in peace and harmony, until the next time. There have been golden ages, long stretches of health and prosperity, evenly distributed, but our dark age threatens all that is good. I'm not a theist, but I do understand the need to seek help from powers that are currently dormant.
Our president using his power to destroy the environment and democracy. It has left me riddled with anxiety and fear for the future.
Climate Change --> I feel really scared and for one of the first times feel "awake." I don't know what to do, I feel really helpless, but want to not ignore this feeling and work hard to make a difference and keep the conversation going
Youth protesting for climate responsibility has made me even more aware of dire need to take action. I am frustrated and sad that the little I can do has essentially no impact on the problem. Due to politics and outcomes in most Southern States that I thought I would not visit but did, donations were made the Southern Poverty Law Center and Fair Vote to offset the visit footprint.
One event that comes to mind is the government shut-down that impacted the U.S. As a resident of Washington, DC it was crazy to see and hear so many first-hand accounts of how the government shut down affected so many people. It was incredible to watch and be part of the DC community during this time. Corporations were giving out free/discounted meals, museums were having specials, and so many people came together to make sure those who were not getting paid would be able to make ends meet. I remember being at the Newseum when President Trump made the announcement about his plan for the end of the shut-down. Everyone gathered around the huge screen in the middle of the museum to watch and everyone 'boo'd' when he spoke. It was an extremely unifying moment and it'll be one of the defining moments from my time in DC.
Earlier this year my Rocky (Rock Star) passed away. He was my rock during the divorce (almost 10 years ago), and always my faithful companion. His passing has left a large hole in my heart. But, it also reminded me not to take anything, anyone or any day for granted. Live life to its fullest every day and be kind, you never know what troubles someone is facing.
The courageous actions of Whistleblower #1 have begun to restore my faith in our American system, and given me hope that the exquisite system of checks and balances drawn up by the Framers will pass this stress test, truth will out...and justice will be restored. I fully believe that the fate of our Republic will rest upon this.
The world is a tough place these days. It's hard to pinpoint a world event that has impacted me. Maybe the beauty in showing my daughter all the candidates that are currently running for the Democratic nominee for president in 2020 and how she pointed out there were a lot of women. I can hope she grows up in a world where women are always in the same 'pool' as men.
Oh my. The Trump presidency has been a chaotic mess this year. The horror/humor of the situation is so difficult to handle. In the good side of it, my husband and I have had a lot of positive and challenging conversations around ethics, interpretation, and behavior that is acceptable. I think he has broadened his perspective on what matters and what is valuable to him. Or he's just humoring me :)
School shootings. It makes me think that I might not be safe in my school.
Not really a current event - but ongoing. Climate change. I really try to cut out plastic as much as I can, same goes for meat and dairy. I alos try to use as little single use products as possible. I'd like to get more into this.
Greta Thunberg has gotten amazingly huge, making everyone aware of the climate problems that we should solve together. It has made me and many many others more aware of what we do to the planet. I absolutely adore her and I think she will go down in the history books. I've never met her but I'm still incredibly proud of her and her generation. I see a bright future ahead with all those wise and woke kids taking the lead.
Fucking Goddamn Trump goddamn him, fuck. I don’t even know what to say. SCOTUS is deciding on my professional and economic stability vis-a-vis if the federal government will actively permit transphobic and homophobic discrimination today, as we move towards Kol Nidre tonight. It’s a little to on the nose, eh? I am so scared.
I remember getting the news about the fire at Notre Dame cathedral and was surprised at how emotionally it affected me. I had visited the cathedral before, and been inside a very long time ago. But I am not a Catholic, or religious in any way. Yet I was so sad about the world potentially losing an architectural icon of such significance (or parts of it as it turned out). Later, I felt guilty about my strong reaction to this event given that no people were harmed. Yet my feelings about it haven't changed and I'm still not sure why my reaction was so strong.
this year there was a big push to be more environmentally friendly and healthy. I was already drinking out of reusable straws but I've also become more vegan, less inclined to ship everything to my house and more conscious of food I am wasting. It's been exciting to learn more about what food is good for me and what works for me.
Everything has impacted us. The world is slowly burning and no one who has the power to change it gives a fuck.
Within a month of each other, there was a shooting four blocks from my house, a woman was stabbed to death near my house, and there was a shooting at the restaurant Jordan was eating dinner at. No one I know was injured, but the closer the violence and crimes get to my home, the more scared I am. I love living in a city, but I fear that it continues to reinforce a sense of assuming malintent in others.
I think that the presidency of trump as a whole has forced me to be more aware of the politics of the world and the inequity that exists. While I still ignore some of the hard topics in the news, I think that it is still important that I am more politically aware, but sad that it is because of how corrupted our politics are.
This is not one event, but the changing talk about climate change. I have always been conscious and tried to do my part - but this year the discourse has gotten more dire and more mainstream and it has really been making me feel existential dread. I know that nothing I do makes enough difference, but also everything is falling apart. It can be hard to deal with my own day to day dramas and hardships when it feels like the whole planet isn't going to be able to support us in a few short years.
The world seems increasingly scarier. More and more mass shootings, a president who incites violence and discriminates against non-white, cis, hetero people. i don't know if any one event is impacting me; it's all of them. This constant state of fear I feel, the knowledge that danger is getting closer and closer all the time. It's discouraging and scary and makes me question what will become of me. Who will I grow into? How can I fight for what I believe and champion for those with unheard voices while also keeping myself safe and sane?
All the news about climate change, the heat, the fires, it has made me feel very concerned, sad, small, and helpless.
Trump's presidency never ceases to horrify me. I am glad impeachment proceedings are happening. Even if nothing comes of it, at least we can look back in history and know that we weren't passive or too politically self-conscious to make a move.
everything in politics. it's a weird time to be living in America. it can be embarrassing and amazing.
Trump is the biggest news/media suck in the world. I wish I had more time/inclination to support the things that I care about. However, it seems that there is always a new crisis that pops up. Climate change will impact the whole world. I worry that we are leaving the world in a much worse place than when I was born. I believe that Hillel wrote that we should leave the world a better place when we leave. We are not doing it. I am not helping, either. I do not have the time, money, and am too lazy to do anything about it. I feel that I am letting my children (and their future children) down into a horrible catastrophe.
Greta going to New York to tell the truth about the environment. Feel proud but also worried about our children’s future
Trump. All his antics and crazy, crazy statements dominate the news on all stations. It's simply too much to keep watching and hearing that NO republican is standing up to his craziness (the Ukraine/Joe Biden thing... "let me ask you a favor, though"). AND NO DEMOCRAT is doing what needs to be done, DAILY, to create and dominate a news cycle to counter the Trump effect. It's completely frustrating.
The whole influx of ICE raids and deportations that's been going on and seemed to escalate over the past summer. It made me want to be more active in my community because I realized I have a small scope of power to change small things and help people when they need it. I'm trying to become more informed on how I can help asylum seekers.
I can't think of something big in the world that impacted me this year. I stopped watching the news around the calendar new year and it's improved my life so much - no more of that constant stressful drama infiltrating my life. My ignorance of what is going on in the world has helped me to keep a blissful bubble around me. I highly recommend everyone give up on the news.
We are so exposed to minute by minute minutiae of corruption, greed, and hatred, and it weighs heavily on our individual psyches and our national spirit.
there is no one event- it seems like the world is going to hell in a hand basket with trump and climate change. it's very disheartening to see how ignorant and straight up unconcerned people are with the state of the world. thankfully young people like greta thunberg are getting angry and taking action and trying to demand issues be addressed. i am trying to do my little part like eating way less meat and being mindful of my waste. small steps but if we all did it it would help. it looks like trump is currently on a path to implosion but he's the greasiest mother fucker the world has ever seen so i wouldn't be shocked if he somehow slips out of the grips of disaster
It's really hard to pick a single event. Every day was packed with some new reckoning. Since January 2017 I've been holding space for those of us in the most danger. Family separations, glacier meltings, white supremacists in my city harassing and assaulting people of color. More women than ever elected to the US Congress, many of them radical women of color. More Americans taking responsibility for their beliefs and actions. It's been a constant tension between hope/resistance and dread/resistance. Not for the weak of heart.
The weather! ice caps melting, storms, extreme heat, and I am not sure how the world can reverse it.
Not sure if this counts because it's just something that's been going on. But I think that Trump being President is toxic to our country. As a woman of color, I truly feel threatened by this nation. It's difficult to see the positives when there's so much negativity coming straight from our own President's mouth. I've never hated this country until he became President. Now, I truly hate what we've become and embarrassed to live in this kind of world.
The worsening effects of climate change and biodiversity loss continue to affect me profoundly. These days I am finding it almost impossible to be hopeful and take action towards change, because truthfully I believe that it is too late for us. I believe that there is no hope and I am so frightened for our future. I don't know what to do, but I seem to have run out of steam in terms of personal involvement - I feel a bit more detached and fatalistic about the whole thing. While I fully support Extinction Rebellion, I can't seem to get involved directly this time (although I did in April this year). I'm hoping my spirit will recover and I'll find a way to take action again.
Ugh, it feels like the world is just crumbling, has been for a few years now. Impeachment proceedings began last week for 45, which is huge. It should be good news but it feels like there’s potential for things to get worse. Today, the Supreme Court is hearing arguments on whether title VII of the civil rights act should apply to LGBTQ folks, whether we are legally entitled to equality under the law with regard to employment, or if we can be legally discriminated against due to our gender identity or sexuality. It should be great, a precedent to protect us, but with the country as it is now, there’s no telling how things will go. It’s scary for my family and my kids. But I’m hopeful, because I don’t know what else to do.
So many shitty things Trump has done—too many to count!
The September climate march was the first time I felt like I was seeing that real awareness is being had and created around the urgency of the climate catastrophe that we are creating. Similarly, and perhaps equally naively, I believe the surge of popularity of Bernie and Warren signal that the US is reaching its breaking point of people struggling and getting trampled by a system that has ceased to serve most and instead caters to a few. In both cases, I desperately want to believe that a real change is coming on both fronts because we are at a point in time in which most people finally get it and are ready to make changes happen. Or so I hope to G-d.
The protest against Chinese extraditions in Hong Kong leading to large scale unrest and civilian demonstrations. It made me feel so fucking lazy as an American. There have been so many more atrocious acts (like family-child separation violence) committed by the US government and we have no will to take to the streets to become so disruptive that there is an immediate response from the administration.
My participation in Hands of Peace was earth shaking! To be even a tiny part of helping to create peace in the Middle East was so impactful. I fell in love with these brave kids who came half way around the world to meet “the other.” When they arrived the Palestinian And Israeli kids wouldn’t even look at each other!!!! 19 days later there was such an amazing shift! We are going on their dual narrative tour of Israel and the West Bank in March. I am taking Eliot for his birthday. He will finally see the truth about the occupation!
The indecision about Brexit and growing antisemitism this year has been alarming and devastating. I had a horrid dream that I was trapped in the attic of an old school building which felt eerily familiar and spooky. I had been stripped and forced to watch my clothes get burnt. A lock down was being enforced by manager at Hackney, and outside the window I saw violent marches with giant swastica and communist flags in amongst burning flames as people followed Corbyn in hate. It was terrifying. I had the dream repeatedly throughout the night and woke up at 2.38, 3.38, 4.38 and 5.38am in a sweat. It was scary, and I hope not foreboding!
My best answer and scariest answer is none, on the impact of the world stage its been a year of relative peace. The scariest part is how we as a society have become immune to hearing about the gun violence take plagues us. Killing and mass shootings have become way to prevalent and the real shame is that our leaders do nothing to change it.
At the border immigrant families seeking asylum were separated and children were put into prison like camps and treated like animals—no water food or sanitary clothes. This haunts me. Also, I think about the world ending daily. When if I have kids I should have them soon so they’re old enough to defend themselves in a terrible flood or hurricane. Or worse. Fire death.
An event in the world that impacted me this year was the Tree of Life synagogue shooting. Last year, I wrote about Parkland, but this is all the more personal. As a member of the Jewish community, everyone I know was shocked. I remember sitting in shul that morning, and only later hearing the news. That next shabbat, it was so powerful to go to synagogue, since it was packed with everyone who was “showing up for Shabbat”. I felt the presence of the Jewish community, yet I also felt our vulnerabilities. Security at school increased, as well as at my synagogue, and for the first time I realized that my community is not invincible and is a target for these attacks. I’ve learned so much about anti-semitism and I am even more passionate about this issue and gun control.
Hurricane Dorian devastating parts of the Bahamas was heart-rending, and a reminder that climate change is going to affect the most vulnerable people. In this case, undocumented Haitian migrants living in shantytowns, many swept out to sea never to be seen again. As little attention as Puerto Rico got after Hurricane Maria, it seems like the Bahamas were forgotten even more quickly - even by other Caribbean folks.
Ugh. So many. Too many. It's all terrible. Brexit is terrible. Impeachment is tearing the US apart. But one good thing. Greta Thurnberg. I look at her, and the way she single-handedly has helped catalyze a movement, and that gives me hope. It reminds me of being an anti-nuclear protestor in the 80s when I was a kid and we lived under the threat of nuclear annihilation. And you know what? We pulled back from the fear of nuclear winter as an overwhelming threat. So I have a little bit of hope for this climate movement, and my hope rests on the shoulders of the youth, and I am spending time thinking about to support them and amplify their efforts. They shouldn't have to stand alone.
This presidency has been challenging. It is hard to maintain hope. That has been a struggle this year. It's not all 45. It's our cultural lack of connection and empathy. I think I know better...but like I've said before. It's hard to be counter culture all the time. It is bloody exhausting. Sometimes I just wish I could turn off my big fat brain and just go with the damn flow. But I know I wouldn't be really happy. So I'll keep doing the hard work... keep being hospitality... keep being steady...keep being open. But I gotta just chill out sometimes.
I feel like world events are inescapable, un-ignorable right now. The US administration's every move seems to escalate the awfulness that came before; even with a best-case scenario election in 2020, this damage is already so extensive... I can't see what the "after" will look like. I have optimism for my personal relationships, but not for the culture we exist in. Where do we go from here?
Last year I said the Trump election; this year I'm saying the climate change, justice for immigrants, and #MeToo movements. There's a critical mass building towards (I believe) social progress, ecological awareness, and social justice. People are mad as hell about the ways in which human rights and environmental health have been ignored, and they aren't going to take it any more. Of course, we're all utterly fucked on the climate change bit. I just pray I die before my neighbourhood catches fire or is over-run by locusts or something.
I’m ashamed to say that I’m not feeling too impacted by any world events. The political situation in this country and worldwide concerns me. I’m touched and concerned by homelessness. I went on strike for better pay and better schools. But, overall, my life remains separate from these issues. I live in a bubble. I guess, if anything, the world events have made me grateful in a new and bigger way than ever before. I actively focus on and cultivate more gratitude which has improved my attitude and the kindness I extend to others. I do also consider running for a seat on the school board, but that’s just fantasy at the moment.
Generally, climate change. I certainly suffer from climate anxiety and if I think on it too much I can get panicked. It’s a big part of why I think I won’t have children, which makes me sad because I think I’d love being a mom. Sadness waves over me when I think of how hints could be different but for a multitude of reasons, they don’t change. But I recently heard Nick Cave speak and he said there are so many beautiful things in this world and that’s what we should lean towards in every moment. I agree. I’m trying to “do with what I’ve got” and not want for something different or want for anything at all. It helps.
Elizabeth Warren’s campaign for president has been utterly inspirational. “Nevertheless, she persisted.” I feel that she has plans. She has bold ideas. She makes me want to solve big problems. She gives me hope. She is proof that being intelligent is not at all shameful. She is the anti-Trump.
Climate change! I think so much about the environmental causes of my actions (sometime it's counterproductive), but I also feel like it's time to take a stand against the powers that be and divest from fossil fuels and elect people who are ready to take meaningful action to save the planet. I want to find more ways to get involved (Extinction Rebellion looks interesting) here in New York, even if it's just getting more people to compost or finding a way to cut more plastic out of my life (writing about it too would be interesting).
Trump! Discrimination, bigotry, violence. The way the media display all of the evil around. Also, having a ganglion cyst and fluid filled cyst in my right knee. I’ve had a lot of pain and discomfort and physical limitations. I’m proud that I went to Many doctors, had many tests and ruled out anything serious. Also proud that I didn’t let this stop me
It's almost a year to the day that Brett Kavanaugh was confirmed to the Supreme Court. Since then I've watched as Republican politicians all over the country, emboldened by the 5-4 conservative majority, have been steadily working to dismantle women's reproductive rights. Despite living in a solid blue state, I worry every day about the long-term implications of his confirmation. It really felt like a "fuck you" to those of us with a uterus, and told the world the true Republican agenda - to oppress women.
It's not one event -- but the political climate has impacted me greatly this past year. I am horrified by the lack of kindness and respect that has taken ahold of people here in the US. I've had to slow down my consumption of the news because I think it was proving to be detrimental to my mental health. Yet still, it inspires and reminds me to be curious with people who have different opinions than I. When I do read the news I read articles from all over the spectrum to ensure I am open to all voices and stories. I want to be someone who remains calm, patient and kind. I do not want to be someone who shuts others down for their beliefs.
Gosh. Trump the buffoon is worse than ever. What a megalomaniac. Brexit is having a whole thing with Theresa May stepping down and Boris Johnson being PM and suspending Parliament and all sorts of mishaps. Trump has an impeachment inquiry and a Ukraine inquiry and he is a mess as usual and the Democratic primaries are going on. Please God Bernie and Warren don't win and please God that MORON Trump is voted out.
The massive tire fire that is the Trump Administration has been psychologically exhausting. It's been very difficult to pay attention to it: our democracy appears to be crumbling in front of our eyes with no end in sight. Yet ignoring it seems irresponsible and Un-American. That has seemingly overshadowed any other competition for views on world events. Which is both shameful and incredulous. How did I let myself get suckered by these obvious (in retrospect) traps? I must resolve to get past that and stop letting this shitshow cloud my entire view of the rest of an otherwise amazing world.
The continuing Trump presidency has been very dismal feeling as a woman in America. There is an underlying panic and doubt that I feel as an American woman. Will I ever receive equal pay? Do I need to be worried about my healthcare rights? Can I afford to be a mother in America? Can I afford the healthcare I need? It has been an exhausting underlying pressure that I don't feel empowered to change and it makes me want to move to another country.
To be honest, it's really hard to remember when world events have happened relative to each other/now. The border wall crisis? I live really close (all things considered) to the southern border so it has an impact in that sense, plus my dad is a 2.5th generation immigrant so it feels close to home
So much has happened this year...and again, like last year, it feels like it's a "small" thing that impacted me the most. Having a great local candidate lose in the midterms to this Republican asshole in my district by so much was so demoralizing, it's been very hard not to feel totally disempowered in my own country, not to feel like no matter what I do or who I call or write to, or how I vote, or how many people I get to vote, there's so much I don't have control over and so many people in power who are so deeply corrupt and horrible and who are not the least bit interested in doing what's right. It's not only the events, but how powerless I feel to stop more from happening.
Again this year it involves trump and the republican congress. The Mueller report came out that we had all been waiting for to finally show all his corruption etc. and instead it was squashed. It was corrupted even how it came out and then nothing was done about it. Now just in the last few weeks, things are moving on impeachment because of what is happening with his calls to Ukraine. But even there the republicans are doing nothing and defending him. trump is trying to gaslight the country and the republicans go along with it. maybe this time it will be different. it seems so but again they may do nothing.
Trump might be impeached soon. Even the hope of this feels like a world event that has affected me. Elections loom.
The climate crisis. I've become very vocal about this on Facebook. Really, it is the single most important issue that we all face. And yet, I keep running up against people who either don't care, feel it is a political issue or don't believe that it is real. I feel somewhat impotent to accomplish anything to help, but at least I'm not keeping silent.
Shootings, Trump, camp friends going through hard times, learning about climate change initiatives. It all keeps happening and we all keep fighting.
My personal world has been so full of turmoil that I 've barely been aware of any but the most glaringly events: Harvey Weinstein, Trump's continued ridiculousness, that sort of event. Matt Lauer, Charlie Rose, Kevin Spacey. They broke my heart.
The increase in mass shootings in the world, specifically in our country, has impacted me by making me more aware of the hatred, violence, and evil in our world. Lamentably, the horror of these events has not increased my motivation to take continuous action for change in our country and in our world. I hope that I will be inspired to commit myself fully to taking action and to not give up the fight so easily. The increase in mass shootings in our country has also opened my eyes to other issues in the world, such as racial prejudice and hate crimes. My thoughts about these issues have made me aware of my own biases and how they affect the way I act and treat others. I hope to eliminate my bias and prejudice in the coming year.
Not a single event, but the continued march towards authoritarianism Trump has been allowed to make. Each day, nearly every minute, the bar is set lower for corruption, lies, and evil doing. The treatment of immigrants and the potential genocide of the Kurds have flattened my spirit.
There are so many things that happen in our world every day that impact all of us. Some good, some bad; but for me I think the thing that has impacted me the most is all of the anti-Semitism that goes on in the world. My job puts me in the middle of it so it is something that doesn't really bother me the way it does others. However, this year we had our very first death/bomb threat to our office. Part of me was proud of the work that we were doing made someone so upset that they wanted to hurt us, but the other part me was a bit scared that there are people out there like this living in my normally quiet community. I can't say that I have changed a lot since this has happened, but it does make me think more about what I post on social media about my Jewishness and the work that I do each and every day.
As I said last year: "Things are just bad, all the time, more than I can bear." This remains true, I think. I'm filled with so much anguish and anxiety about the state of the world. I don't know how to have hope, but I want to keep having hope. The climate crisis is awful, the political crisis is awful, but gosh as we slide towards impeachment I hope I can come back next year with a more optimistic look on things.
Everything about American politics. It's exhausting and depressing.
Only very very indirectly - our "president"s views on immigration relate to my wife's occupation. This has not resulted in any tangible impact on me personally, but it impacts her emotionally, and that can come home
Seeing white supremacists taking over had been really scary. There is so much hate speech that is promoted everywhere. All condoned by the president. He is an awful awful evil human being. Just the past few weeks, he's being impeached. I hope it leads to his downfall. He deserves to go to jail for the rest of his measly stupid life. The climate March initiated by Greta Thunberg has really impacted and moved me this year.
The way Greta Thunburg makes my dad feel has really impacted me. He became a strange, bullying, grumpy older man right before my eyes. I can't believe how much of a contrast there is in perspective and it also made me realise that people have such different ways of looking at things, you really can't assume how someone will react and though you might empathise, you are unable to put yourself completely into their experience.
Right now we're in the midst of this whole Trump impeachment crisis and I have no idea where this whole thing is going to go. It feels like Trump and his cronies keep spinning and gas-lighting the country, and I'm pretty sure we're in the midst of a no-backing-down fully escalated constitutional crisis. It could go in so many ways and feels terrifying and unprecedented.
NEW YORK YANKEES are in the PENNANT for the FIRST TIME since 2012! I think they're going to play Houston for the AL championship and the Dodger for the World series, but both of those series have not been decided and the Dodgers will have to play either the Cardinals or Atlanta first. Still a LONG playoff to go, but LET'S GO YANKEES!!! Other than weird weather and the escalating gas prices in California - nothing else in the "world" has directly impacted me this year, but the day isn't over yet!
Impeachment of Trump. Looking at his defenders made me realize that people can stay blind even when facts are slapping them in their face.
Trump. It's less of an event and more of a phenomenon. Our current president continues to lower the bar for civility and compassion. His behavior must be eroding foreign confidence in "America's word" which will necessarily make it harder for future presidents to negotiate meaningful treaties and most likely make us a greater target for foreign hostility. And, he continues to do nothing to try and stem the tide of domestic hostility and gun deaths. I believe that American history is a story of pushes and pulls between eras that were community-focused and eras that were individual-focused. We are most certainly in an era that glorifies and protects individual rights (particularly the individual rights of those who need governmental help the least). My hope is that with HHDs 5781 we will have begun a return to community-focus and protecting the vulnerable. AND that that transition isn't ushered in on the wave of some type of cataclysmic event.
everything trump has done. every shooting. ALL OF IT. has robbed me of my safety, has endangered all of us. we are living in a shit-storm of day to day trauma.
The Pittsburgh Tree of Life synagogue shooting by far was the most impactful event for me. It opened my eyes to the degree of anti-Semitism that still exists in the world today, which I think I had previously been somewhat naive to and sheltered from. It increased and strengthened my Jewish identity.
Increased hate violence and sense of intolerance. Made the work I do feel all the more important — the work I get paid for and the work of raising a child and being in a community.
I feel depleted and sad when it comes to the world. I’ve been newly tender when seeing violence and harm in the world, especially against children, especially re global warming. My challenge is to maintain my drive to help change it - it is so easy to grow hopeless. I cannot picture sending my baby out into this world. I have an obligation to work to make it better for her.
Ugh, Trump is still our president and its EXHAUSTING. I hope by this time net year he is gone. Too many mass shootings, too many lies, too many children running our country. Marianne Williamson is running for President and she is a MASSIVE inspiration and I got to meet her last week. I really hope our country is ready for her, because I am!
Hong Kong protests... that's been quite sad to see. I guess it's not really impacted me directly, but certainly indirectly. This is a city I am familiar with, people I've bumped into on my visits. For some of my friends, it's where they call home. It's where my parents grew up. It's heartbreaking to see the hostility, the violence, the unrest, the disagreement. Will there be peace in HK again?
I'm unsure. Probably something to do with the impact of anti-Semetism and racism, (anti Christian discrimination - the attack on a church during Easter overseas). But for antisemetism and racism, it wasn't just one event, it was many events. Also, the egregious attacks on civil liberties via the government that happened around the world, including in the UK. And how the EU wouldn't condemn certain acts of terror due to an obvious anti-Israel bias. Those kinds of things scare me. We turn a blind eye to many immoral things because they don't push our preferred narrative.
All of them are devastating.
The rise of egoistic fascism in this country has pulled me from complacent to deeply active. Whether it’s waking up at 5am to flyer Know Your Rights in immigrant communities or showing up regularly to meetings for activist organizations or driving to another state to register voters, I have gotten off my ass and gotten to work. Why? Because Never Again Is Now. And I’m already late to the party.
The news moves so fast. I can't even think about everything that has happened this year but its likely that the country lowering the number of refugees allowed is something big and sad.
This year, the various mass shootings by white supremacists have impacted me so negatively. They have made me feel targeted, alone, afraid, and worthless. They have made me feel unseen and unappreciated, misunderstood and angry. I don't want to spend too much more time even thinking about this, because I feel that it has hardened me and made me less compassionate toward others out of fear and self-defense. I don't like not having compassion and empathy for others, in fact, I strive to be quite the opposite, so these events have also on a greater level made me just not feel like myself.
Between the daily Trump horrors and the climate disaster, my anxiety is very high. I worry about a cataclysmic event ruing the life I am living.
The new Boing 737 Max 8 and their crashes. I love airplanes so when the third crashed I was in shock. I hope they could be flying soon but after all the tests they need.
Donald Trump. Ugh.
The Hong Kong protests (which are STILL HAPPENING?!?) had as much impact as anything. The fact that huge numbers of people care about something and are willing to fight for it, even in the face of the implacable Thanos-like doom that is Beijing, is pretty amazing and wonderful.
World events grow increasingly depressing, so I try my best to focus my energies locally. Tree of Life temple shooting in Pittsburgh was especially tough to get through, but having the Solidarity Shabbat service in our community helped, and so many friends reached out with offers to be "allies."
So many mass shootings this year. I'm afraid we will become numb to it all. There was another shooting over the weekend, when my grown daughter asked why the flags were at half staff, I admit my response was way too nonchalant, there was another mass shooting and I could not even tell you what city. This is too much violence, we are becoming numb.
The wildfires in California. Hearing my friends mourn over their burned-down summer camps, and watching the fires on video, turning the massive hillsides into fiery hell-scape finally brought me to turn the corner on climate change. It's too late to disagree and not get involved. This has to be the biggest issue on our minds moving forward.
There isn't really a single event, which feels impossible. Every bit of news coming out of the US is horrendous all of the time and no one ever does the right thing. I'm terrified and saddened at all times.
It took me a bit of looking back to lock in on just one moment - the neverending presidential garbage fire just won't stop - but it was the shooting in Christchurch. The shooting at a mosque in New Zealand killed 51 people, and it took New Zealand roughly *a week* to pass a ban on assault weapons in response. They got it - access to guns means mentally unstable/racist people can go shoot up a church/synagogue/mosque/school far more easily and take more people down in the process. Meanwhile, we're seeing mass shootings take place weekly in the US (sometimes multiple in a week) and if Congress sat any harder on their hands, they'd snap them off. It impacted me by reminding me that change is still possible in some corners of the globe. Some places still get that life is more important than their own narrow little interests. It probably won't be enough in the long run to protect us from ourselves, but it gives me at least a little hope.
The shooting at the temple in Pittsburgh I think shook me to my core. I think part of the reason was the lack of reaction and impact that my non Jewish coworkers felt made me feel so alone and, well, attacked. It was powerful to go back to hillel for services and be there with danny to try and process that a little.
I thought of two things, so I will write a bit about each. The shooting at the tree of life synagogue in Pittsburgh I think affected all Jews around the world, myself included. It made people in the world and Jews themselves think differently about Jews being a still currently oppressed people. It gave many of us lefty Jews an opportunity to share our thinking and our voices about how anti-semitism is part of a larger system of white supremacy and that our safety lies in solidarity with other oppressed groups, and more people started to understand this. It made me feel worried about the possibility of this happening at the synagogue where I pray. Jews in the US, our sense of safety, I think is forever changed by this. I also thought about how, only a week and a half after that shooting, the US 2018 midterm elections happened and it was so hopeful. There were so many women of color elected, so many historic firsts, the Democrats took back the House of Representatives. After so much deep despair about the political state of our country, there was reason to be excited about possibility again. So much more felt possible and so much more was possible.
We have not been connected to the world for so long. The Nothing has our world in its claws.
global climate change protest- it gave me hope that young people care about the world and have the inatiave to take action to solve our global challenges
The global warning reports that demonstrate we are running out of time for any course correction have had a big impact. It’s terrifying that people that don’t believe in science may destroy us all. I hope we don’t all end up without breathable air and water and appreciate everyday that I’m able to walk around without a respirator and the ability to live above ground.
there wasn't anything that impacted me directly, as part of the action, or that truly shook me up. but all of the shootings in the US? all of the discussion of mental health being a factor? calls for institutionalization rather than gun control? that hits me, every time, as someone who struggles to accept that being mentally ill is Okay
Harambe affected me more this year than when it happened tbh. Makes me cry when I think about it. Also the recent (and valid) conspiracies/displays of corruption in real life - Jeffrey Epstein, Botham Jean.
All the mass shootings. It makes me nervous being out in public like this. It makes me feel worried but not scared. I also feel so sad for the people who have lost because of these. While people say they are not mentally ill I don’t understand that. Something has to be wrong in your chemistry to allow yourself to do something like that. It’s wrong. This has impacted me because now I have to be constantly surveying the scene and make sure it’s all safe. I spoke about shootings in my response last year and nothing has changed. If anything it happened gotten worse.
I couldn't think of anything to write until now (when it's question 10 time!). This is actually happening right now - PG&E is going to cut off power to about 800,000 customers over the next few days to prevent further wildfires here in California. It feels apocalyptic. I think it's a sign of things to come and that we need to prepare. This is going to be the new norm so we need to figure out how to work with it.
The increasing concern on climate change. The amazon is burning, Sydney farmers are going through a major drought, and it feels as if I am standing to the side not doing anything about this. To compare to history, it feels as if I am in my mother's shoes back in the 50s/60s/70s and that rather than standing for civil rights, I am similarly standing on the sidelines agreeing with the need to do something about climate change, but not actually having any action or sacrifice to participate.
I follow world events more on my podcasts! Since going to Israel I feel a lot more strongly about Iran and am paying more attention to the Middle East though I know it could still be more. Trump, impeachment hearings just started re: July 25th phone call with Zolenski, as well as his administration’s (well, giuliani) pressure campaign the months leading up to it. Really hope republicans step up and condemn his behavior but not holding my breath.
I've tuned out a little to world events this year. I think part of that has been in a bid to block out the almost daily reminders of how cruel people can be, how unpredictable the environment is getting ... or perhaps I am hearing about it all, but have become somewhat numb to the frequent horrors. This last year there has been a definitive growth in people's awareness of and advocacy around climate change. The sheer number of people turning out to protests and becoming more mindful about single use products is inspiring. Yet, at the other end of the spectrum, I'm floored by how negative our political leaders are around climate. I'm embarrassed by their denial and inability to see that the time is now to do something. The utter lack of political leadership on this front makes me feel despondent, and questioning the impact of my small actions to make change in this regard.
Global climate change. Just the sheer pact of the continued destruction of Mother Earth is heartbreaking. So many people still don’t believe. Corporate abuse. And in the U.S. we are moving backward in our regulations which is unconscionable. On the other hand, seeing the children standing up and speaking out is incredible. There is hope, and the next generation is leading that charge.
I don't have to look far from home. The whole Brexit debacle is beyond insanity now. The goings on in Parliament and the Supreme Court were the stuff of future history textbooks - I am living in interesting times, alright, and I can see why that was a curse to the Chinese. I cannot see a good outcome to this mess - the country is split down the middle and I don't know how things can be salvaged. Opinions are polarised and it feels like people aren't actually *thinking* any more. I am terrified, but I am determined to try to stay resilient and not be cowed by it. When we are in the darkness, it is hope that keeps us looking for the light.
The Conception fire. It took our friends, and gutted our community. It was so sudden, and so very brutal. It has been awful, but in the end i do think it's brought (some) people closer together.
I was truly impacted by learning that the government was separating kids from their families and putting kids in cages, indefinitely. I was so disgusted I had to take a step back from the news - it really crossed beyond my space of tolerance. For the first time in my life, I stayed away from the news, reading and watching, for a few days. The issue is so deplorable and yet the resistance that is possible seems meaningless… protesting… showing up… the government announces they are changing their policies but I find out months later nothing has changed… they are now building detention centers for children, babies, toddlers who are unaccompanied and kept in deplorable conditions. For the first time in my life I found myself understanding how, in the 1930’s, people kept business as usual and carried on with their lives knowing that atrocities were happening next door. I am exhausted by the endless barrage of bad news, the succession of crises and the fear of what might happen next. You just try to keep your head down and live your life. Save the energy that is needed to be outraged all the time. I am very disappointed in myself for not standing up, for when the time came, I failed what in playing the role I had imagined I would have played in the 30s/40s, had I been alive. Just surviving in the face of total helplessness eats at you. What is left is a carcass without a soul, its flesh torn apart and chewed up.
The unchecked nature of corruption in our government has definitely weighed me down this year. Watching a selfish, unkind man act as president has warped my view of my country and government. I feel worried that I'm not doing enough and that maybe there is nothing that can be done. I vacillate between media deep dives and withdrawing and avoiding the problems. I'm more worried and scared for my country and the safety of vulnerable people than ever before.
Paradise burning to the ground was a thing... D. lost a lot and it was hard to watch her go through it. Currently I'm writing this in the dark because there's a scheduled blackout to prevent a recurrence. The world is changing. The climate has changed. It's eerie.
Gun violence. I have no fear of a mass shooting, but I do fear for my black male students. I continue to wonder about ways I can prepare them for an unfair world. Most of them have already figured it out by the age 12 when they get to me. There is a resignation in them that is depressing. One of the most profound insights I had from a student who was talking disdainfully about black students acting white. When I asked him what he meant, he said, "white people are reckless." That just floored me! Here I am thinking I am fearful, timid, cautious, but in reality, if I run a stop sign, my consequence is very little compared to that of a black man in America, they cannot run a stop sign and be certain they will not be beaten or killed.
The Trump presidency is just god awful. The job I have is for an international company and for the first time ever it really feels embarrassing to be an American at the table. I really hope he’s impeached by the time I’m reading this next.
Sadly I think it has to be Brexit again. Which is a shame because it’s local, myopic and petulantly takes up more than its fair share of space. But as it has ground on, each round of new ‘negotiations’ and wrangling as hopeless, bureaucratic and self-aggrandising as the last, it’s put a nail in the coffin of my interest in political leadership. Or should I say leadership emanating from Westminster and the political establishment. They are as lost as the rest of us, and worse labouring under the illusion that they have the power or the insight to change the escalating collapse we are all entangled in. I must confess bouts of apathy, and still the occasional feverish interest in the human drama, but I do now feel, very strongly, that it’s all a distraction from the real work that needs doing in our world. Worse than disagreeable, I suspect there is now no real ideology underpinning the machinations of those who have won control (ironically under their banner of ‘take back control’), limited real interest in the grassroots frustrations that fuelled this mess in the first place, and factions are in fact now being played off against each other in a roguish, entitled and quite dangerous way. I can only see it continuing to get worse, much worse yet. What does that all mean for me? 1. Beware the ‘scale’ distraction. Good, meaningful work - for me at least - is at the human to human scale. More than that is intellectually tempting but unlikely to be worthwhile. 2. Apathy is a risk. Resignation. Head down in the sand and hope it all goes away... this is also a distraction. And laziness. As it says in Talmud I am obliged not to lazily ignore the struggles and injustice nor to be the hero and try to solve it all. I do have a voice and resources and I ought to employ those usefully. 3. I need to retain and deepen my focus on islands of sanity, and where my own warriorship can be usefully offered in service of them. My hunches are that youth, leadership, ecological intelligence and spirituality all have something to do with it.
Greta speaking to the UN really lit me on fire with climate change and reducing plastic. I've become more green since I've lived here and I love that. Have more work to do to truly be environmentally conscious but we are making progress.
I am having trouble thinking about a single world event that has impacted me this year. I think this says a lot about the stage of life I am in and how truly selfish a lot of my worries are at the moment. The news continues to affect me deeply but it doesn’t ultimately impact a lot about my life. I would like to change this.
The event that most affected me internally was the creation of migrant children detention centers in our country. As a Jew, I see many parallels between this and the creation of ghettos at the beginning of the Nazi regime. I felt guilty frequently for not doing anything actively to fight this and felt like I was partially responsible. Externally, the overall political climate has affected by relationship with my father, since he is very politically outspoken. I hope that after the election next year a lot of the volatility we face now will be resolved (it definitely won't be before the election is over)
Burning of Notre dame - learning about its origins - connections to isis and the strength of the feminine
Trump being elected and getting away with hurting, abusing, and bullying all kinds of people in lots of different ways. It makes me lose faith in humanity and worry about the future. Also, Brexit, Boris Johnson, and climate change findings. These make me wonder if/how I and my loved ones will be able to survive as I grow older.
This past year there were a lot of heartbeat bills that were presented and came into law in the US. I remember feeling so shocked that we as a country could go backwards in women's rights. This country loves to suppress people and I felt it during this past year. I kept thinking about the consequences that these states put on abortion, like jail time or even a hefty fine. How can you jail me for something that has to do with MY OWN BODY? I was scared for myself and other women in this country. I don't see anyone putting restrictions on men's rights to their bodies; or hell even to someone's right to own property or a gun. How dare you make me feel insignificant about my decisions for myself.
Honestly, like last year, Donald Trump's continued reign of being able to do whatever he wants without any repercussions for his actions has deeply affected me. Our country has lost respect on a global level. People laugh at us. And somehow, I still see people wearing MAGA hats and thinking he is the most incredible president that's ever existed. He is anti-semetic, racist, and not good for this country. As events unfold surrounding the impeachment inquiry, my hope is that more people see him for who he is and not some edgy man who says what's on his mind regardless of consequence.
Is it bad that I didn’t immediately have an answer to this because I feel like the world is a bit on fire? Thinking about it more, what’s impacted me most is poverty in this country. From my work at JFS, I saw a lot of it firsthand. We make it impossible for people to actually get out of poverty, and it’s a vicious cycle that any of us could fall in to.
I hate that the honest, ongoing answer is the cruel administration currently running our country. I know I wrote last year about family separations at the border; that problem has not been solved, although it's not the one in the headlines this year. The paralysis I feel at all of the injustices, all the communities threatened, all of the backsliding on climate change, all the corruption, and most of all the fellow citizens who not only don't mind but actively continue supporting the administration is sometimes more than I can bear. And I know I'm not doing enough to fight it.
Just one? Good lord. Immigration crisis and the horrible and inhuman way our administration is dealing with it. To know that children are being taken from their parents and knowing how my son would have reacted breaks my heart.
The horrible, horrible person in the White House. It has affected me more than politics has ever affected my life. We have hit the blackest, most uncomprehensible time in American history and I have to believe in my heart that we will rise to a better place for all of the people in the country - and the world - and become a happier, healthier, more inclusive, more forgiving, more charitable nation.
The world seems to falling apart. Every day during this presidency seems filled with so many events that it's hard to pick just one; however, the decision to go down an impeachment inquiry route is bound to have ramifications I can't yet imagine. I have a sheer lack of understanding for how such a large portion of our population can accept and tolerate the pervasive hate in our society. As much as I find my work important, it seems I should (we all should) be standing at the border until all children are returned to their families and the separation practices stop. I think on some level I've always questioned how to go about my life in a world that seems so imperfect, yet for the first time this year I have also felt notions of understanding that maybe that's somewhat the point... maybe there is something to be send for hope (even if doesn't feel realistic) and trying to create some light in spite of the darkness.
There isn't a specific event that has impacted me, because I think these types of radical events are happening so often I am becoming jaded and immune. It's sad really. I cannot even count. So much hatred, bias, scandal, sensationalism, etc. - the world has become LOUD and the message of faith and goodness are being drowned out. I'm starting to be more of a conspiracy theorist and it's not healthy!!!
Ugh where do I start. Everything hateful that has happened this year has impacted me. The shootings, hate crimes, children at the border, rights being taken from immigrants, women's health being challenged. It all makes me sick and not want to live here. I feel so helpless. Also it's so damn hot. I can't imagine any hope for the younger generation. Glad I don't have children.
The loss of truth and of the expectation that politicians will tell the truth, leaves me fearing for the future of democracy in America.
There is an immigration/humanitarian crisis on our border and Trump is still the president. Right now there is a discussion of impeaching him, but I no longer think anything can unseat the guy. Last Thanksgiving, the minyan held a benefit for Justice for Our Neighbors and raised some money with live music. This year, I don't know what we'll do, but everyone I know agrees with me and I feel the people I don't know don't agree with me and we'll never get together on this.
The atrocious massacre that occurred in Pittsburgh reminded me that Jewish people are not safe from the terror of anti Semitism anywhere - not in America or anywhere else. On a subconscious level, I think attacks like this have made me reluctant to be in crowded places, transformed the way I move through space and chose how I spend my time. It's also made me more fearful, which I loathe as I try to choose joy as often as possible.
The Pittsburgh Synagogue shooting. Definitely. It took me awhile to think of an answer to this, but just remembering back... I felt so alone hearing this, in England, with no Jews around. I had no idea how to move forward. I went to that little shul a few weeks later, and honestly felt scared the whole time. I have been scared at every Jewish space I've been in since then. I hate it. I hate feeling scared, constantly thinking about what if a shooter storms in. But it's always on my mind.
Greta Thunberg leading young people to save the planet. I'm trying to be more conscious of not wasting things that pollute the environment. Everyone needs to do their part to help.
Um, the shit show of my life is only exceeded by the shit show of my country.
I think like most Brits this ongoing rumble of Brexit has caused some mental health problems. I feel more disconnected from the country, almost excluded, because to be part of the madness is to be a bit mad. I just want it over
An event in the world that has impacted me this year was the immigration policies and Trump's Twitter tirades and rants. It seemed like prejudice and hate were just building and building with no intention of stopping. As always, climate change and the politics and discussion around it also impacted me because I so want to improve everyone's quality of life and world. We are living in scary times. It's terrifying and thrilling to watch young people stand up and have a voice.
i don't think i can pinpoint just one "event" but instead, i'd like to think of the political and social climate we live in. our president is a racist, selfish, prick of a human being. i can't believe it's gotten this far, honestly.
I fucking hate Trump. He's loosed monsters upon us in the form of the Far Right. I hope to God he winds up in prison and soon.
Oh wow what a year for the world. I guess I could say the climate strike a couple weeks ago had an impact on me. this year I felt incredibly connected to nature, and the environment, and sustainability. I feel supercharged up about making smart decisions for the climate. Seeing the world's start to rise up for this movement has been inspiring, but I think really it just has solidified my passion and focus on this topic. I think about sustainability in almost all of the decisions I make every day. I haven't bought anything for myself since I stopped working in March, outside stuff for the wedding of course. The footprint I have and the footprint I'm leaving, follows me, and I'm trying to do my best. The world agrees, and is waking up to join me in this movement. I'm excited for climate change and sustainability to be a really regular part of the people I knows every day dialogue.
I think the launch of the movie Unplanned was really important. I've never had the Lord give me such a zeal for activism and a trigger to be involved in political elements of life. Abortion has to be stopped. We need change on this front and I want to be part of that.
Brett fucking Kavanaugh getting nominated to the supreme court was a travesty. As is the number of conservative judges that are now going to decide to continue to erode the rights of women and LGBT people.
There is so much - right now, the supreme court is debating whether or not being queer is a fireable offense. The massive forest fire in the Amazon and the ways in which it will impact the entire world. The police shooting of De'von Bailey, right here in COS. The trial of Amber Guyger in the shooting of Botham Shem Jean and the subsequent shooting of the witness who put her away in a "drug deal gone wrong" (official police story) just days after the trial. My God, there is so much grief in the world. So much pain. My personal healing has returned to me my capacity to feel and I have so much sorrow and anger for the world. All the masks are off and we now have to contend with how ugly and broken things are. It's so heavy, sometimes.
The increasing meanness and anger from the White House has resulted in my checking out of paying full attention. But, I also find that I am intolerant of anyone who is not an admitted Democrat - so, I am become one of "them"
Oh. my. gosh....there is SO MUCH going on the world....little has impacted me directly in a big way, other than emotional tolls when I read or listen to news. We recently ditched work for a day and attended a climate Friday demonstration, organized by high schoolers (a wave of demonstrations started by 16 y/o Greta Thunberg), It was really moving to see all of these passionate, scared, angry, motivated young people surrounded by others of all ages (Amazon employees) joining in and supporting their cause and our planet.
Curtis Flowers' case going to the supreme court. It reminds me that individuals working together can make a difference and create justice. I would love to do work like the makers of the "In The Dark" podcast to help other people who are wrongly incarcerated.
The crazy person in the presidency has made me anxious in many ways. The confirmation of a right wing syncophant and abuser into the supreme court made me very angry. The right wing's desire to take away the rights of others. The rise of racism.
The shootings, the mass shootings shake me to my core. I am angry with the politics that is swirling around in Washington that we can't have better laws. On a personal level, I now think, whenever I am at a crowded event, or synagogue, about safety. Before I go, I assess how important is it for me to go. That and climate change. It is impacting our daily lives. It is not a solitary event, but ongoing that we are now experiencing. We have created our own Armageddon. I have contributed to it over the years with my commute to work. I have tried to curb that but using public transportation when I can. But not only WE need to do better, but I need to do better.
The fire in the amazon. I told myself that I need to do way more to support mother nature. We are all part of Pachamama and the living organism of planet earth. I need to do better, we need to do better, for the sake of our species. Mother earth does not need us she will heal and survive long after we are gone. We need to protect our home.
The whole world is a dumpster fire. I can't even.
I'm not really sure, to be honest. It feels like an aggressively lame way to answer the questions, but I think it speaks to the overall sentiment I've felt in the last year. A bit numb to all the shootings and anti-Semitic acts, a bit helpless on what my part can be to fix and build a world from love, a bit overwhelmed with my disappointment in so many of the elected officials in the United States, and a bit unplugged from it all as a survival method. I don't know that I'm proud of 'shutting out' so much of the noise in the world around me out, but I think it's a part of a year of trying to focus on the things I can change and the busyness and sadness of the world has made it cloudy to affect change broadly for me, so I've been focusing internally.
My answer to last year must be on a repeat loop. We are living in dark times, inhospitable to civil discourse, impervious to the pain of others and motivated by greed and seemingly evil forces. My sense of calm is shattered because we don't take action against the President, the climate, immigration, etc. We bequeath our children and theirs to a life of uncertainty. Are we forsaken, or have we forsaken our commander in chief (not Trump); I feel sad for the pain we must be causing him.
There are just too many events that have impacted me...to the point of numbing me. The mass shootings, the fires, the floods. Donald Trump and sociopathic leaders daily abusing us with deceit and moral transgressions; who hurt the planet and those that live on it for their personal gain or glory. At times I feel so sad/frustrated/angry and at other times I feel disdain that I am somewhat complacent and don't do as much to fight the injustices and just watch the horror show unfold while I go about enjoying my life.
A world event? A single event? I don't think one can. The event that is trump. That cancer infecting everything. The symptom that is wrong with human beings everywhere. He is the symptom of greed, racism, narcissism, selfishness. He has taken time away from all that is good and gentle.
The Kavanaugh appointment to the supreme court and the Me Too movement was very triggering to me. I couldn't understand why I was feeling so off and in such a bad mood until I spoke with other girlfriends about it. I was replaying my own assault over and over in my head while I was watching a predator be appointed to the highest court in our country. Now we are supposed to expect this asshole to uphold the law when he himself has broken law. It's disgusting but I guess it's a symptom of Donald trump as president. He is a cancer and cancer spreads. but I keep telling myself that karma is a bitch and wait for these predator men to fall.
The biggest impact has been from the breakdown of norms in our democracy. Trump and his people are trying to destroy the constitution by refusing to recognize that congress is a co-equal branch of govt. and has mandated oversight powers over the presidency. He has destroyed any sort of bipartisan efforts to improve this country and replaced it with implacable animosity between Democrats and Republicans on nearly all issues. He is trying to discredit our free press, which is extremely dangerous. He has damaged our relationships with both allies and foes. He has normalized the practice of using foreign powers to help him win elections and uncover dirt on his opponents. He's attacked all who oppose him, including judges, the CIA, democratic congressional leaders and even fellow Republicans. He has refused to take steps to combat global warming. This path makes me very fearful for the future of our country.
Greta Thurnburg calling out world leaders to make sweeping changes to combat climate change. She is saying what more of us need to be saying.
Last year's answer stands here. It feels like world events have shrunken to just be American politics, as they have such a broad and dire impact. The migration crisis in particular is astonishing and horrifying to me, that we treat other human beings as we do, and just go on with our daily lives. I'm complicit. What am I doing to push back against these flagrant abuses of human rights? I just go on living my small life, wrapped up in my mundane problems, and I ignore the greater issues at hand, because they don't affect me. Then I write about them here and move on, back to the grind and bustle of my little world. I struggle with this yearly and yet do nothing.
I’ve honestly been like an ostrich with my head in the sand this year. The constant talks of impeachment for Trump are both welcoming and exhausting. I just want it to end.
The Tree of Life Synagogue shooting in Pennsylvania. Within this dark period of mass shootings, bringing it into the anti-Semitic context, on a Shabbos morning right before a Baby Naming, hit home hard. How do human beings not see all other human beings as merely human beings. How can death be the most humane journey we encounter yet we have stolen all of the humanity out of it. How did we get here.
Not sure I feel impacted by world events this year. The Brazilian election was a disaster, but at the same time the economy is picking up and important reforms are being passed. Its like I totally numbed myself to these happenings and to be honest its done me good. Focus on what I can change and improve.
I'm still really embarrassed and astonished at the comments that come out of the mouth (or onto the screen) of our president. I'm equally astonished that more people don't talk about HOW embarrassing he is, and I wish more people would speak out. Share his politics or not, I have no issue with that - but I feel that he's making it culturally and socially acceptable to be inappropriate and ill-mannered, and I won't let my children listen to him speak.
I have not been following world events as closely as I did last year since I am very busy with work and school. I did notice that Hurricane Dorian ravaged one of the Bahama Islands and I felt terribly for the loss of life and the devastation in its wake.
What hasn't. If anything, the constitutional crisis in the United States is even more serious every day. I am deeply afraid that this country will become a place I cannot live safely.
I guess the continued separation of families and detention of refugees. I know I wrote about this last year...but it continues, and continues to make me sick. It also makes me angry to feel like the most I can do is donate to individuals. It's like I'm paying off the humanitarian debts of our government.
The planet is burning up. Trump is speeding this up.
The workings of the current president has impacted the way I think. It has inspired me to get more involved in politics than just watching the news. I have joined a group called The Long Beach Resistor Sisters with my own sister. We are doing things like writing postcards encouraging people we don’t know to vote. We participated in The We The People March and I am goin to keep being actively engaged. I have grandchildren that need our earth to be healthy and our government to protect them.
I don't think I have been impacted by a world event this year. I don't know whether that is a good or bad thing. Either nothing really bad happened, or I am too isolated to be effected.
Impeachment proceedings have finally started. It gives me hope that this country can turn around from the dystopic horror-show it is. Elizabeth Warren is running for president, and is currently in the lead among the democratic hopefuls. A Warren presidency would be amazing.
Last year's answer was so hopeful and related to myself and what I can do, and after an entire year in the workforce doing what I proclaimed I wanted to do last year, I feel a lot more nihilistic. So much has happened this past year and I feel so cynical. Last year, I seemed to feel like I had so much more power as an individual to change things, but things are feeling very bleak now. With impeachment looming and no one seeming to agree on facts, I have no idea how real issues like climate change and gun violence will be tackled during my lifetime.
Chaos in the world - shootings ,immigration issues world leaders seemingly being unstable , news stations doing a poor job , our gov't not really listening to the people. makes me feel anxious, frustrated.I worry about my children.
The Global Climate Strike in September 2019. For years I have prided myself on being somewhat conscious of my environmental impact, but I am becoming more and more aware of my carbon footprint and am taking steps to reduce my impact. I still have a long way to go, and I will never be the "zero waste" person, but I am realizing more and more each day how much we are ruining our planet. But more than that, the strike made me realize how much our world - in all aspects - lift up "white saviors" while forgetting the people of color who have often been present in those spaces for far longer. I have nothing against Greta Thunberg and in fact am grateful for the work that she does, but there are so many indigenous people and people of color who have been working on climate issues for so much longer but who have been overlooked for decades. I have long noticed this happening in other areas, but this in particular made me sit up and pay more attention. I want to continue learning more about other areas where this is happening and use my voice and my platform to lift up ALL voices that deserve to be heard.
Just more of the terrible trump stuff. I hope the impeachment sticks. I was supporting Kamala but now it’s Elizabeth Warren.
Yemen, Syria — the stress of what’s going on in the world is enormous. I can’t watch the news anymore. Both these countries Civil War has created immense tragedies. I find myself feeling guilty for what I have and that I don’t do enough to help others.
OY. Mass shootings, hateful rhetoric from the White House, increasingly polarized views. I'm hopeful, though, because people are talking about it. People are comparing it to Nazi Germany. People are not being complacent!
The jewish community shootings in the US have been always at the back of mind. I can't say I was ready or immune to violence, but the idea that someone can enter a synagogue in America and shoot people is one that I always associated with Europe, or Israel, or anywhere else, not here. It is something I think about every time I enter a synagogue, every time I see a security guard, every time I want to do something Jewish. It made me more proud, and at the same time more shy about my Jewish identity. It hasn't changed my behavior, but it has made me more aware of my community and the tenuous place fits into the fabric of the country.
A new government thanks to the misguided schemes of the former Minister of the Interior. I'm so relieved.
Even though I haven’t been impacted, there was a large group of immigrants coming walking actually from Central America through Mexico to the United States. When they got here, they got put in detention centers. A lot of their children were taken from them and mixed up all over the country. It really stirred up a lot of anger towards the government and how these poor refugees are being treated. People are still collecting goods to send down to the borders in these to help the people in the centers. Children are still separated after several months. It’s a real tragedy.
This year I'm thinking a lot about two things: pervasive antisemitism and climate change. I know and think a lot about antisemitism, but this year after the shootings in Pittsburgh and Poway, I think it was brought to the forefront of national attention as well. I want antisemitism to be taken seriously. It is a growing issue and it is often disregarded as illegitimate. I'm not checking the news today, but I heard that there was a shooting in Germany on YK? How is this normal? It makes me angry and also proud to work for a Jewish organization. I'm also tired of Republicans using antisemitism and anti-Israel sentiment as political pawns. The Jewish people need to unite against this. In the past, I never really considered climate change to be an issue I cared about. Of course I love the ocean and respect our planet, but I didn't follow the issue much. This year, I have learned a lot more through reading, watching the news, and talking with friends, and I now see climate change as one of the biggest if not the biggest issue that we face. How can we ensure the future of our planet? We need to take drastic measures!
The immigrant situation has me pretty down. I've opened my home to people in need. America is a hostile place.
All the anti-Semitic attacks in the world are leaving me profoundly uneasy. I feel like acts of hatred once unthinkable are becoming more and more accepted in society and this is not a good form of progress.
Any and all things *45 at the helm of Our Nation. Pick one. I would Oath the Rapture came and We were all left behind if I held to such a belief. We seem to be living in Bizzaro World on TEN. Orwell's "1984" on Opioid-Vaped Meth smothered Crack. Seriously. Every time U think "... it can't go any further, or get any crazier..." the current administration and their minions in the Senate say "HOLD MY BEER!" If I played the "What if Obama did..." drinking game or "How often will he say Obama or HRC this week" I would have died from alcohol poisoning a two years ago... Lying about easily fact checkable things on the World stage has to be the worst. How does he still have rich, educated supporters? He is going to tank us all if left unchecked.
Everything in the world has impacted me. The state of the world is really upsetting and now that I have a child who is inheriting this world, I am struck more deeply by things. Some of the events that are incredibly disturbing are: the continued rise of violence against women and black people without any accountability, Donald Trump's continued attacks on immigrants amidst a worsening refugee crisis, Donald Trump's racist policies/ rhetoric and his corrupt behavior, and the worsening climate crisis. I have lost faith in our democratic institutions and in our country's leaders. I am seriously questioning the American people's ability to respond appropriately to all of the above crises. All we do is complain and talk about things on social media but we're not out in the streets protesting or actively engaging our representatives to change things. I was really impressed with Puerto Rico's response to their President--they took to the streets in droves and he quit a few days later. And he's not worse than Trump.
This is hard. I feel fairly numb to most of what's going on in world, which is probably a way of coping with the insanity that is the Trump administration. He should be impeached and we're starting the impeachment inquiry based around Ukraine. Maybe he will no longer be president by the time I've opened this!
Same as last year - the crazy state of our government and the (not so) slow erosion of our democracy based on fear of the other. Need to focus on what we have in common with each other and not what separates us or we are on a dangerous road.
more and more anti-semitism, isolating
The shooting at Tree of Life (around the corner from Mom's parents' old house where we had just been in April). Even 3000 miles away, it felt very close to home. Feeling incredible stressed about things in our country (and sad that that's the same thing I wrote last year). Still feel like I'm in a history book and don't know what happens in the next chapter.
Trump being president has affected so much in the world, I can't even bear to take in how much ruin and suffering he has caused that will affect the planet and people for many years to come, I still am trying to process how to make work that speaks to this. I know my extended community is huge and I lean on all the bright spots I can find.
All the antisemític terrorism , and all the shootings in the US, is really terrible what we are seeing in the news and hearing, so much hate, so much violence ! It is unbelievable and so scary !!!
Trump is still here. The mueller report came out and nothing happened. Politics are tribal. Everyone hates one another. The right is full of garbage people. Basket of deplorables really. Trump screwed over the Kurds who are our allies, will let turkey pretty much massacre them. What shame.
Not a single event, but all the climate protests/action. I feel increasingly anxious about the future. At times I feel like I should upend my whole life and get ready for complete societal breakdown.
Climate change. I'm working in it. I'm also working to notice what a big thing it is. I don't know if I have hope. But I still work on it.
Trump's incompetency coupled with the abdication of responsibility of the Republicans. I feel like we are losing our democracy. It's hard to walk the line of non-attachment. Harder still to believe that this is all for the good in the end. Hard to hang on to my optimism.
I hate this question. I don't know why I hate it--maybe I don't see a direct correlation between world events and my life. Maybe I don't WANT to see any correlation. I have been thrilled with the "me too" movement and the surge in women running for office. It gives me hope for a more equal and just future. It also makes me wonder what it would have been life if I had been born into a later time, when women have something closer to equality than they do now. How would my identity have changed by not being the only woman in the room? By not being strident, or intimidating, or objectified? By not having to try to explain how being a woman has impacted my career in the thousand of countless ways it has, from the time I was in high school, through my unattached twenties and early thirties, up to now, as a mother and a wife? But identity doesn't really work that way-- zipping back and forth through time, changing history like a set of experimental conditions. And for that I am grateful.
(VB Strong) VB Court house shooting, changed the way I view the news.
Kids in cages. I still don't know how this is happening here, and now it just is. And I don't know how there isn't anything I can do, or maybe there is and I'm just not doing it. Both of these options are terrible, and make me feel terrible.
My best friend has had her baby, so I've gotten to see her become a mom. It's made me consider how to be a good aunt, too.
Well the drought is over and now there is an event that has impacted me: the Hong Kong protests. I feel very strongly about those. It is horrific what is happening and I very much want to find a way to support the protesters. I've even been playing around with the idea of flying there and bringing face masks. I might settle for donating to the campaign of a pro-democracy candidate in the municipal elections. The influence that the Chinese Communist Party has been wielding in the Western world has been extremely concerning, and this really looks like the most important test for freedom and democracy in our time.
The Trump presidency. I do not feel safe as a woman or a Jew in my own country.
Trump’s escalation of violence towards immigrants and the environment. It frightens me. It makes the world more precarious, as if it is careening out of control.
One thing that affected me this year is that gun reforms were denied. There have been SO MANY SCHOOL SHOOTINGS when there shouldn’t be any in the first place. I went on a trip with Rabbi Schaler, Julia, and Shira to DC, and I lobbied about this issue to people in government. This was the first time I felt like I was actually DOING something instead of just saying I wanted something done. I hope our next president pushes for fun reforms, because the 2nd amendment didn’t account for thousands of children being slaughtered.
The issues concerning immigration has caused me to question my thoughts on this subject. I have been challenged to look at this issue as a humanitarian effort. I understand the economic strain allowing illegal immigrants into the USA causes, but at the same time I realize I had no control over where I was born or who my parents are and their adherence to the laws of the land. I feel like it is something that test and questions my Christian Faith. How would the Lord have us react to this situation. Am I being like Christ in my attitude and actions to illegal immigrants? I will continue to keep an open mind- not to man’s ideas but how the Bible handles these questions.
The birth of my son has brought me such joy that no event in 2018-2019 has adversely affected me. That said, the ongoing conflict in the US government has made me pause to think about the world into which my son has been born.
Over the summer, a report came out that basically said unless we make massive (and incredibly unlikely) changes to how we run the planet, we're not going to survive very much longer. I've always wanted kids, but now I'm not sure I can deliberately bring a child into a world where they can't have a future. Which is very hard, because I've always wanted this, and I'm having to come to terms with (probably) losing that dream.
It has to be the events leading up to impeachment hearings for Trump. His carefully chosen Cabinet members and associates are either in jail or under investigation. His sons and VP Pence will be following right along. How can he get away with all the crap that he has been doing since Day 1 (or before)? Whether it's "grabbing them by the pussy" or eroding the Constitution, caging children and attacking immigration, insulting the media, trashing Democrats, corrupt and/or inept appointees for every possible post, and creating policy on the fly... and now the Ukraine and China coersion for information against Biden? Cmon, this is getting absurd! He thinks he's legally immune/ exempt from anything, but mentions that this does not include the VP. The next step will be framing Pence so that the Republicans couldn't possibly Impeach him and leave the country in Pelosi's hands. Way too clever and despicable! What is happening to our country? And what will I do to stop it???
The multiple shootings that happened in schools and concerts, specifically the one that happened at Borderline. It scared me that I had been there recently with friends and how easily circumstances could have been different.
The major wildfire in Paradise, California last November had a real impact on our family, leading us to take an unplanned four-day trip to the central coast. While we made the best of it, the experience made very real for us one way in which climate change is going to disrupt our lives. Major air quality issues due to smoke is not something my family dealt with when I was young but seems to now be a regular part of the fall season in California. It motivates me to want to deepen my efforts to fight for environmental conservation.
This past year there were two synagogue shootings with a significant number of deaths and casualties. One was at the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh and one was at the Poway Chabad in California. 11 people died in the former and 1 in the latter. I cannot remember in my 48 years EVER having had a synagogue shooting in this country, so the fact that two occurred within one year is extremely disturbing and upsetting. As I've predicted for some time, the level of anti-Semitism in this country (and around the world) has increased significantly, and it continues to increase year after year. This is the first time that I can remember when someone actually deliberately targeted praying Jews in their holy synagogue and murdered them because of hatred. Needless to say, these events shook me and my family, community, and the Jewish people as a whole to the core. They certainly have confirmed my belief that there is no future in this country for Jews and that NOW is the time to move to Israel. I wish I could go this year, but I have to wait until Abby finishes high school. The world and this country have become scary places.
I'm finding it difficult to understand the world anymore, to be honest. Trump as the president of the United States is even more terrifying than I could have imagined. He is eroding our democratic norms, even our understanding of what truth is, and I'm finding it difficult to imagine a path out of this mess.
The refugee crisis motivated us to say yes to housing an asylum seeker, Patrick.
i can't think of anything worthy enough to go here and that tells a lot in and of itself
The mass shootings have severely impacted my conversations at work and at hone regarding security and safety. It’s also caused me to reconsider how I vote I. The upcoming elections
O Lord. If this President doesn't leave, he will start WWIII. May have already. New Syrian crisis, sad for the Kurds. They don't deserve this. Making enemies. The immigration children separation issue has impacted my heart in a great way. I think of them every day. I am appalled at where we are. Interested to see impeachment go forward.
It feels like there is so much happening in the world these days that it is difficult to write about just one thing. Almost one year ago was the shooting at the Synagogue in Pittsburgh. Then there was the mass shooting at a mosque in New Zealand, then at a church in Sri Lanka, then a Chabad in Poway, then the shooting in El Paso...and there's even more in between. There has been a major increase in attacks against Orthodox Jews in Brooklyn. Anti-Semitism and xenophobia has been on the rise. Beyond all this, global climate change is now passed the point of no return...and we are in the midst of a Trump impeachment inquiry. There is a sense that the larger community is becoming/has become immune to these mass shootings. Politics are becoming ever more polarizing and divisive. To me, it often feels like the world is somewhat draining, and I need to seek out and remind myself of the good in this world.
Feeling the urgent need to do something for this world. I realized how important it is, that something changes on this planet. We need to change now. Change the way we eat. Change the way we build. Change the way we treat humans, animals and mother earth.
The Brett Kavanaugh confirmation. It was horrible to watch the white male privilege win, which meant decades of influencing the most important issues of our time.
Climate change has been at the back of my head for a while now, and only in recent years has it seemed to climb to the forefront (shoutouts to Greta and AOC, but even this fact makes me a little uncomfortable, realizing there are so many voices that have spoken out about these issues but none as compelling to me as the aforementioned—we have to do better at listening and seeking these voices out), and I’m still one to think that maybe the privileged are the only ones who can afford major lifestyle changes. We’ve acquired a number of metal straws and reusable tote bags but the shift towards a more sustainable lifestyle takes so much more than that, steps I’m not sure our household is collectively willing to undertake. I did find myself shopping for less clothing this year. Part of me wants to suck it up to baby steps, but we all know we have to feel a much greater sense of urgency. I’ve also been a little more acutely aware of food waste. Being that my mom doesn’t know how to cook for just us three, we always have a ton of leftovers that we don’t know what to do with. And leftovers are only a small fraction of the equation! There are a lot of perfectly good salads and produce that people are compelled to throw away each day instead of, say, donating it. This sheer class divide really baffles the shit out of me.
I think that people are finally waking up to Climate Change, to the emergency and to the grief. It is horrifying and terrible, but it makes me feel less alone as it is coming into consciousness.
Duh. Once again. Trump Trump Trump. As of right now, he just allowed Turkey to decimate the Kurds - my current thoughts is that this COULD be the final straw that really turns the public and some critical GOP senators against him... but we're Americans so we'll be all outraged by something else in 3 days
What happened in the world this year? I can only think of yesterday. I find it easy to forget that people want to kill us. Actually want to kill us, in the present. No matter how much it is in our texts, our liturgy, our history, in my relationships and family dynamic tainted by Holocaust trauma, I scoff at CST and am irritated and bemused by security. How dare someone try to ruin our most holy day? How dare they. It's a stark drop between the tired success, elation and joy at the climax of Neilah to the utter despair and broken heartedness that comes with the realisation people want to kill us. But the sun rises, the world keeps moving from the suspended time of Yom Kippur - we put a nail in the Succah, and children giggle and cry on their way to school. Living as Jews is an act of defiance. We will continue to live, and do so proudly. We demand our safety and will not have it taken away from us.
The miserable presidency of Donald Trump affects me constantly, but I hate that it does. I feel like we're in some sort of weird whirlpool all getting rounded up and drowned in his incompetency. The planet is suffering hugely, and so are all of its residents. 200 species extinct daily. Fires and floods and hurricanes and tornadoes. I absolutely feel like we can't bare to take any more, and I am truly at a loss of what to do.
The shooting in Pittsburgh was a harsh wakeup call for me as a Jew, and sadly, just as a person who is often in public spaces. I never believed that antisemitism or bigotry had died down, but this was the first time I've had so many personal connections to one single modern tragedy. Every Jew I know knows someone who knows someone who was there that day. Somehow, this made me prouder than ever of my religious background, and reminded me of the reality that these types of things can happen to anyone, anywhere. I'm now more alert to gun violence and hatred, not just against Jews, but anyone who is targeted based on their beliefs or values.
EVERYTHING! I can't even keep up anymore with how crazy things have been. The rise in anti-semitism and general rise in unpleasant behavior is scary. I don't know why we can't all be nicer and kind to each other. Why are we so afraid of people not like us? Why do we want to hold on to 'our' way so much? The current political environment is actually very stressful. It's not one event, it's the whole thing.
I have honestly been too wrapped up in my own drama and craziness to have a clue what has gone on in the world around me.
The sheer lack of common sense, consideration for other human beings and regard for our planet can automatically put me in a depressive state. So many feelings of helplessly, hopelessness and anger. This year, I started focusing on taking better care of our planet. There are so many small things I could do to help, like making sure to recycle and using reusable containers. I want to make sure the planet is around for future generations.
One day at the beach, our day was interrupted by a march about global environmental change. It made me think a bit about our global trash problem and makes me try to live a less wasteful lifestyle that consumes more resources that are renewable.
The ongoing climate crisis finally hit me this year in the way that it probably should have hit me 10 years ago. The new numbers released by the UN about how we have about 40 years left, for example. Greta Thunberg's crystal clear cry for action. Beyond living a low carbon life—I don't use a dryer, I don't drive a car, and I don't have children—I wonder if there's more I can do. I wonder if I can live my life more radically in the direction of saving the planet. It seems so obvious. Why haven't I done more? I want to do more.
The Democrats are calling for an impeachment investigation and I totally support this even though it's conclusion may come when the elections begin. Maybe it will shed some light on our shady president's dealings. I don't think it will affect his base because they trust him despite all of his fuckery. You cannot change someone's opinion that is based on belief by presenting facts. That is a lesson I have really absorbed this year.
An event in the world that impacted me this year. It affected me when there was violence in Israel and antisemitism in other parts. That's always devastating. I don't know, I've really shut myself down from politics. Maybe it's immature but I haven't been able to bring myself to invest in it.
The rise is antisemitism is deeply troubling as is that people - especially politicians- can say whatever they want and not be accountable to any standards of ethical speech and/or common decency. The common demonstrator to these I believe is the erosion of values, ethics and morality.
When Beresheet made it to the moon, but crash landed, President Rivlin was on TV and lead Hatikvah. There are so many good things packed into this.
The entire fucking dumpster fire that is Current Events in America. I have been very lucky to not have my life directly impacted by the barage of insanity but the psychic tolls is real. Still, I know I am beyond privileged to be in a relatively safe place. I guess one impact is that I feel more grateful than ever for what I lucked into, and more activated than ever to help where I can.
Wow…this question is actually impacting me quite a lot and not in the way I believe it was intended to. I had to think hard to think of a world event that impacted me at all. And it’s not as though there hasn’t been enough going on the world. I’ve just been so self-involved with my own dramas and traumas that I haven’t paid much attention to anything and also, everything in the world seems to have been so horrid and heart-breaking that I usually feel like I can’t take any more. But that’s not good. For one thing, being so far up my own ass doesn’t help anything – it just magnifies it and takes it out of its proper proportion. For another, if I’m not paying attention, I’m no better than the people I excoriate for their apathy and self-involvement. I do remember listening to NPR all day for a couple of days during Brett Kavanaugh’s Supreme Court confirmation hearing and being so angry and horrified that I almost felt physically ill. It was so obvious he was going to be confirmed anyway, despite the horror show of a human being that he is. He is so emblematic of old, white, male privilege. It made it feel like no progress has been made. It made me feel like I was clinging by my fingernails to whatever advancements have been made in terms of true equality, and being dragged away screaming at that. Since Trump was elected, I have been regularly if not continually sickened by what is happening to my country. I feel almost like a child, totally uncomprehending of how this all could be happening. Rationally, I’ve got some idea of the whys and hows but there’s still this underlying naivete that makes me feel like it’s not quite real, that it’s all an awful, collective nightmare and if I just knew how, we would all wake up and find that the country was not being run into the ground, dragging much of the rest of the world with it.
The Global Climate Strike and the events surrounding it deeply impacted me this year. I've become more and more concerned about the state of the climate and the fact that we're running out of time to do something about it before it's too late. I'm incredibly inspired by Greta Thunberg's activism, and her speech at the UN was SO moving. I've been getting more involved with climate justice groups because of it.
Our president is still an idiot, so there's that. I got somewhat involved in local politics this past year, and I really liked it. I liked understanding which candidate I wanted and being able to explain that to someone. I liked having a 'team' to root for on election (and then run-off) night. Even though I've never been this politically active, it makes me want to learn more/volunteer more!
The youth climate march was so inspiring. I think that if anything has the potential to change the paradigm we’re currently experiencing, it’s going to be the energy and power of the younger generation.
The growth in anti-Zionism and anti-Semitism made me realize what I want to do with the dual master degrees I am pursuing -- I am now actively looking to switch careers and move back to the Jewish world.
Pittsburgh Tree of Life shooting. It's been so hard to stop thinking about. We are close the one year anniversary and my world still feels so fractured and broken. I am so much more scared everywhere I go. I'm so much sadder about the world and have a much bleaker outlook. It was something I never thought would be possible.
Trump. Just the worst. Every day I'm astounded by the absurdities. It reminds me of the dystopian book I was writing, but had to stop because all of it started coming true. The world he and his supporters live in is scary and based in fear. Unfortunately, this doesn't seem to be limited to America with Boris Johnson is the UK and dictators across the globe. It's challenging, but I'm trying to stay in love.
Still got Trump as president which is worse every day. You think it can get worse, then the next day it's worse. I have to limit my exposure to news for my own sanity and I feel guilty that there are people who are more significantly impacted than me.
The loss of 1/4 of our North American birds in one human lifespan because of deforestation and habitat loss is devastating to me. In general what we are doing to the other beings that live on this beautiful Earth with us just tears me up inside. I need to do better not eating meat.
Donald Trump is an idiot, a racist and I fear for our country if we don’t hurry up and get him impeached already.
The court trial of my best friends murder 😭 She was killed in a courthouse! In a place filled with judges, lawyers, police officers, security guards! In a place where your safety should be guaranteed! For the rest of my life, I will never accept or understand how/why one of my best friend's was taken away from all of her loved ones so brutally, so cruelly, so tragically...
The climate change marches led by Greta Thunberg have have inspired me to really look at my lifestyle and continually make changes to live a more sustainable way of life. I've also encouraged and led my community to be greener, such as "greening our kiddush" at the synagogue. Earlier in the year, the deadly attacks on synagogues impacted me because I am a rabbi and suddenly everyone was obsessed with security and worries about anti-antisemitism. Mostly, I found it depressing, isolating, and anxiety-provoking, except when I saw other minorities supporting us. When we stick together and find common cause it's uplifting instead of isolating. Then around Tisha Be-Av, many Jewish groups were inspired to demonstrate for immigrants and to protest government policies against immigrants. I saw that Jews are finding relevant meaning in our tradition and history, and applying that to current issues. All of these events led me to want to be more activist and to build bridges and connections with others.
The Pittsburgh shootings were really upsetting --- watching people be put into cages - equally upsetting
The rise of anti-Semitic incidents in the world, the climate crisis and the seemingly-correlating decrease in the President's cognitive abilities and ability to walk humanely and compassionately in the world has me increasingly pessimistic about the future. I look to community and local leadership for guidance, but I worry about the national and international scene.
As in 2018, my world is dominated by Trump and the profound divisions in our country. I continue to be deeply concerned about polarization on both sides. I support impeachment because our constitution and political norms have been so clearly violated, but I fear the continued ripping apart of our nation. I am better able to empathize with people throughout history who found themselves in a terrible political time and weren't sure of the way forward. I want very much to look on this time (which I hope will not continue for the rest of my life) and remember it as a time when I held on to my values and lived with integrity. In particular, I hope that I will be able to say that I did not give in to the vitriol against other people or become part of the "cancelling culture" that I think is so toxic.
Hearing more terrible news about climate change has affected the way I picture my future. Particularly the news that things are happening faster than first predicted, that things are going to change drastically for the planet in my lifetime, and that there is probably nothing we could possibly do at this point to change the tide. I remain hopeful, somehow, that the human race will survive. We've survived other calamities in history. But I am so angry about what we have done and continue to do to the planet, and grieving a little the losses we will experience, even the minor ones.
One event? There were so many shit storms. The shooting at the Poway synagogue was way too close. I knew those people. I no longer belief that Jews are safe. At all. I have no faith in our present government to help us.
Immigration. It’s my profesional and personal focus in a lot of things. It’s so bad for kids and their families and our country creating an us versus them
Children being seperated from parents at the Mexican/US border really, really irked me. Like, it sat with me, and stared at me. It haunted me. I felt so much sadness and fear for those poor babies. To even have to go a few hours or days without their moms or dads is just- reprehensible. And I carried this sadness and disgust around with me for weeks, especially when I saw headlines about it. I still feel that sadness and disgust months later. It makes me really, really angry. How could a country like the US agree that this is how we should handle a refugee/immigrant situation? Separating children from his or her parent(s)? It's more than unnecessary, and basically qualifies as cruel and unusual punishment. We are treating these people (children included) as criminals instead of refugees. Those children will forever be scared and confused by what they endured, if they even can relocate and reunite with their parents. I have toddlers, and I cannot imagine my kids having to go through this scenario. I wish there was more I could individually do, but I feel like the people with the power to change it need to be the ones who care about it enough to do something about it, and they clearly don't. I fear that one day we will look back at this period of time and be ashamed of ourselves for allowing it to happen. Yes, the crisis at the border definitely impacted me most.
Watching as this country becomes more and more uncompassionate towards immigrants is just horrible. Immigrants can and do add to our communities in positive ways. This has not impacted me or anyone I know directly. But seeing how people who run this country act and react to this issue makes me lose faith in this country, our government and our people as a whole.
Hopng Kong Protests, praying for them, I love HK! Thinking of my friends there
Trumps ongoing stupidity and aggrandizement of all he thinks he does. How horribly the new tax laws screwed almost all of us that are not in the rich corporation category. How can Amazon and others pay no tax and ours went up significantly. Several antisemitic massacres at synagogues affect us all in the Jewish world.
I was obsessed with the story of the Thai soccer team stuck in a cave during rainy season. The young ages of the soccer team, the way they handled a tough situation through meditation and positivity, the way the world came together to pitch in and help solve the issue...it was a fascinating study of teamwork and the human capacity to solve problems and be altruistic.
Fridays for Future. I really am going to take the climate seriously, less wasting. We have to do something for our kids and everyone else's.
It's day 11 and I still have no answer for this question, is there really nothing that impacts me in the world???
Climate change Brexit loss of civility and unity in societies. These events have had both a huge impact on my values, and yet no impact on my physical well-being - so far. What comes next, may be very different, and I'm still hoping we can harmonise again and work to solve the existential challenges to human life.
The shitshow that is Hong Kong at the moment. I realised I may never be able to go back there, it is such a beautiful place, and I'm so angry about what's happening there.
An event in the world that has impacted me is this entire Presidency tbh people just seem so aggressive nowadays and a lot of relationships including friendships are ruined because people can get so passionate. Another event would be that conservative parts of South Africa are okaying people that want to kill LGBT people like wtf is wrong with people.
I feel that one of the issues that has impacted me this year is gun violence-particularly the synagogue shootings. I am greatly saddened by these events but I also have been motivated to be more of an activist on these issues.
Section 21 legislation led me to join the London Renters Union. The non-election of Boris Johnson made me think more about a plan b that is not living in London.
The shootings at synagogues have made me more fearful of antisemitism in our country, and more fearful for my kids' future
Oh god....just the disgrace that is British politics. If I think too much about their motives and the likely outcomes for ordinary people, I feel a rock in the pit of my stomach and panic building. More positively, Greta Thunberg inspiring young people with her passion and drive. I hope the policy makers listen before it really is too late. Sometimes I question our decision to have children, the future is so bleak and uncertain for them.
So many! HK protest, the burning of the Amazonian forest, climate change movements, ISIS omgg.....the world needs Jesus let's just put it that way. I've become to realize how intense the growth of selfishness and control over power is. I hate ego, but we all have it. If we lived the way Jesus treated humans, the world would be a better place. Too many humans, not enough souls. This quote was painted on NYC side walks and it can't be more true.
All the anti-Semitic attacks - especially Pittsburgh and the one in Germany on Yom Kippur - it all makes me feel completely unsafe, anxious and very confused. Why the Jews? Again? Still? Seriously, what is so evil that I need to be erased from the world? It makes it hard to fully enjoy life. I feel like there is a black cloud over all we do.
I went to Elizabeth Warren's speech in Washington Square Park a few weeks ago and it was AMAZING. She made a really important point that change IS possible. That it might not be easy or simple, but if you can dream it and fight for it, then it can happen.
I'm actually struggling with this one. I mean, the inauguration of our new Democrat Governor (Pritzker) has certainly had a huge impact on Illinois and on me in my job, for sure. It's been great to see so much get done, and the process start flowing again. Particularly in contrast to the GOP administration federally, I feel like we are running in the right direction and surrounded by states (and people) going the other way. That polarization isn't new, of course - I'm just relieved that for the moment we get to make a whole bunch of progress.
I've been paying attention to the concerns around climate change more, and I'm terrified. I'm so scared I try not to think about it too much, because it's too big, and too overwhelming and awful. I want so much for this planet to be safe for my children and grandchildren, and I'm so afraid that the monsters in charge don't care enough to make sure it is.
Tree of Life massacre. and all the other mass shootings. It's unconscionable that we do nothing. I am perpetually sad, numb, and enraged. When will we treasure life and love more than money and power?
Grand Migrations. Trump in power. Thinking more about sustainability and how to participate. Want to make a difference. Want to have a voice. Proud of my daughters for being aware at 4 years old. Mali for asking her Pre-K class to bring their own forks to school. Wanting to find a place in nature to retreat, but want to participate. Know I must.
Again, there is so much to choose from, and so much that is still so scary in this post-Trump world. At the time of this writing there is a huge amount of drama swirling around Trump’s potential impeachment (which I fervently hope happens and am following with a bit of obsession), but to go back farther in the year I think the things that have affected me the most are the wide variety of horrible mass shootings in our country (including a very scary one at a synagogue in Philadelphia that I can’t help but take personally) and the outrageous treatment of migrants and refugees at the hands of our government. I cannot believe that America, land of the free, is imprisoning people who are trying to come here to seek a better life, and that we are ripping apart families and treating children so poorly. And the fact that my children and I can’t go to school, worship in our synagogue, or go to any kind of public gathering, without having to confront fears around being shot by a fellow American makes me angry and bitter. We need a national conversation about guns in this country but I despair of it ever happening in any meaningful way when we are already so divided and ready to kill each other. I am ashamed to be an American right now, and seriously cynical about whether or not we will ever be able to change. (That cynicism is actually painful for someone like me who is usually so optimistic.)
Not sure I can pinpoint one event. The ongoing antics of the Trump regime has been upsetting and demoralizing. The elections in Israel are not much better.
Greta Thunberg’s visit to New York was inspiring. One of my long-time college friends, a busy father with a full time job, is studying biochemestry and algae-based energy solutions in his spare time. I look around and see a lot of motivation to solve this problem in urban areas. I also see stubborn ignorance in that large swath of Americans who consider climate change a hoax. Every thinking person from Noam Chomsky to the brass at the War College understands what global cataclysm awaits us on our current trajectory of carbon use. “It is difficult to free fools from the chains they revere,” as Voltaire said.
Tariffs have impacted me personally and professionally, causing my customers to question why and spend less overall. I am so frustrated because now neither side wants to lose face and this has global implications which also impacts me; I feel helpless.
An event in the world that has impacted me this year is the continued fight for religious freedom in the US and abroad. It has become so prevalent now more than ever that if we don't make a stand for freedom of religion, who will? The US doesn't receive as much of a brunt as in other countries but we are getting closer by the day.
The shooting in Pittsburgh was so disturbing and the lack of governmental response so disheartening. Enough thoughts and prayers! That said, the way our community came together - all religions - in its aftermath gave me hope and reaffirmed my commitment to being a rabbi that is welcoming and embracing of interfaith families.
I am still sick and tired of trump and the continual real or perceived corruption.
the #meToo movement continues to impact my sexual self. I've become more sensitive than I was before when it comes to misogyny and patriarcal comments & behaviors. The effect me deeply. So many women, including myself have suffered at the cost of a male-dominated world!! I don't hate men. In fact, I don't like it when I see women "rise up" in a way that just perpetuates the battle of the sexes because THAT doesn't heal anyone's wounds. Instead, I stand firm in my own power and recognize that I have the innate ability to communicate my needs in a loving, kind, compassionate way--and that includes saying NO.
There have been numerous acts of anti-Semitism around the world, including a mass shooting in Philadelphia. In addition to blatant acts of violence, there have been many anti-Semitic statements and attitudes that have risen up through political rhetoric. It's alarming and has come up in casual conversation with close friends. It creates really awkward and upsetting moments and makes feeling close to good friends very difficult. The idea that my love and defense of Israel somehow negates my support of social justice is so frustrating. Black and white thinking at its worst.
I wouldn’t say there’s any specific event that occurred in the world this year that affected me more than anything else. That said, just the daily experience of having Donald Trump be the President of the United States has affected my outlook on life and my ideologies and my level of civic engagement. I feel I’ve become a more outspoken person about politics and more firm in my beliefs. For the first time, I’m actually kind of interested in politics and I’m having discussions with people about current events. The polarization of our country has affected me personally. I find that someone’s political party affects the way I view them way more than it did in the past. This is especially prevalent when I’m dating.
This year many things have impacted me. The current administration is fundamentally against LGBT and being of that group it is frightening to watch my freedoms and protections be stripped away. It has become a bit of think ahead for an escape plan if we need to flee. The world feels so uncertain right now it can be overwhelming.
TRUMP IS EMBARRASSING!! global warming breaks my heart
The whole Trump admin has changed me. I have lost my faith in our US democracy, the parties abilities to do what is right, and it really illuminated where everyone's line is. Children dying in cages isn't worthy of impeachment, but lying about Ukraine is. This admin has felt like a decade and we still have 18 months to go. Personally, I am less complacent. I have volunteered for multiple campaigns and propositions, which is good. But it says something about ME that it took this to get me here too.
It's just an ongoing dumpster fire. Nightmare.
Climate change movements have spurred on Riff Raff Band to be formed. Otherwise, again no specific events... Perhaps I keep my head too far underwater, living only in my own world.... Perhaps I'll start listening to the ABC..
The ongoing mishegas of Trump and the other pseudo/wannabe dictators of the world are affecting me greatly. In my role I must maintain a centrist attitude, to better appeal to the greater population, and truthfully I better identify in the radical center, but I am having an increasingly difficult time keeping my cool in instances of clear and obvious bullshit. I once dreamt of being a revolutionary . . . and that dream is reawaking.
Right now impeachment proceedings are starting! It is very exciting, very invigorating. It means the world around me is waking up and reacting.
The shooting at Etz Chayim in Piitsburgh. Because I live in Israel, people around me didn't hear about it until I told them. I frantically tried to get in touch with all of my friends who were in Pittsburgh and spent lots of time reading about the event. It felt so close and so far, and hard to not be able to talk to my family. Since then, I feel the people around me have been far more sensitive, and I have been far more scared. Being home now, for the High Holidays, I was scared to go to synagogue. Scared for my own life, scared for my family, and scared for my community. It destracted me from my prayer, and is such a disturbing feeling, to be scared to be who I am and to be scared weekly for my family. And, they think it's ironic that I am not scared to go to synagogue in Israel. And it IS ironic. I don't really know how to move forward, but it is something that greatly impacted me this year.
Synagogue shooting, walmart shooting, New Zealand mosque shooting, and all the other white supremacist mass shootings have affected me greatly, caused large crowd anxiety and have broken my heart. Also the separation of Latino families at the border and the detaining/imprisoning of children without their parents is one of the hardest things to feel powerless to. Those families could easily be the beautiful patients/families I take care of at work and I can't believe we're all letting a small version of the Holocaust repeat. White supremacy and violence is rampant with Trump as president.
I remain furious about family separation, but otherwise many of the events of the outside world (and honestly, my medical events) have sent us into our family/friends circle as our whole world. I remain involved politically, but have pulled back from social media and really spending any time with people who aren't already our friends or family or likely to become so (we're willing to spend time on the kid's new school friends' families, for example, but not to get involved in "parent interest groups" at the school).
Trump is finally getting impeached! I don't know that it's had any impact on me per se, other than me thinking that it is well past time to get that disaster out of office. This is sort of a slantwise way of approaching it, but I also think about participating at the Free Mom Hugs booth at Pride this year, and what an incredible experience that was. Mia kind of dragged me into it, and I wasn't exactly unenthusiastic, but I wasn't super-jazzed either. Then I put on my Free Mom Hugs shirt and my rainbow skirt with my rainbow eyeshadow and my rainbow manicure and we went downtown and I maneuvered my way to the Free Mom Hugs booth and I hugged the shit out of people. And it was AMAZING. I hugged men and women and nonbinary individuals of every stripe. I hugged little kids and old people. I hugged people who were inches away from being naked and people dressed to the nines. I hugged people fresh from top surgery, drunk people and high people and two guys I'm pretty sure were homeless. Where hugs were unwanted we offered fistbumps, handshakes, and smiles. We told people to eat their vegetables, wear their sunscreen, and drink enough water. I told so many people that I was proud of them, that they were loved, that they were worthy. Some laughed and cheered. Some wept in our arms. My heart broke a thousand times over and rebuilt itself again and again. It was absolutely magical. I had been a little worried about being so surrounded by people, by hugging so many strangers, by physically offering myself in such a way that seemed potentially risky...and it was magnificent. I was left full of light and joy and hope, and I can't wait to do it again.
The shooting at the temple in Pittsburgh. It terrified me that there is such deep-rooted anti-semitism. I have grown up in the US feeling safe as a Jew. This made me feel scared and vulnerable - for the first time. I was grateful to the people and communities of other faiths that showed support to us and our temple afterwards.
So so many! #45, now called 666 in our house, has praised and gotten close to brutal dictators, insulted allies, increased his destruction of the environment, and is now under investigation for impeachment. The worst thing he did was family separation and institutional mistreatment of children. His packed Supreme Court is deliberating about whether or not LGBT people like me and my wife can be fired for being queer. The latest world events: the bombing of oil refineries in Saudi Arabia, The saber rattling towards Iran. The withdrawal from Syria and the Turkish attack on the Kurds, condemned by every UN country except Russia and the USA. I'm scared about everything: World War, nuclear destruction, climate change disasters, his supporters taking to the streets with their guns, losing legal protection as a queer woman and eventually having our marriage anulled...along with all the rest of the old dangers.
Trump is such an ass hat. A truly terrible and disgusting piece of shit. He is the representative of the misogyny and bigotry of our country, and it's deeply shameful, scary, discouraging and sad. It's impossible to comprehend his rise to power and it's incredibly disconcerting as we head towards the next presidential election.
STILL Brexit. I'm sick of it. I don't want us to leave the EU. I wish there had never been a referendum.
The surge of awareness around climate change. My husband instigated changes in our family - flying less and not eating meat. We also marched at the global climate protest along with our coworkers and his parents.
Climate Strike impacted me a lot emotionally. Even though I did not get to attend this event, I was genuinely surprised that a lot of people, including my friends actually went to this event. I feel like people are starting to spread and receive awareness about global warming and climate change. This warms my heart that people are trying to stop our planet from destruction.
The crazy abortion laws being passed around the country and especially in my state are terrifying. Having been though a pregnancy and the first year of parenting has made me even more unabashedly pro-choice, and it worries me that my daughter may grow up in a country that doesn't respect her freedom and bodily autonomy.
The Pittsburg shooting in October of last year was heart wrenching. I was in Torah Study and services that same morning. Shooting someone in prayer is upsetting. It felt personal because it was people doing what I do every Shabbat. We are vulnerable when we are genuinely praying. All the shootings bother me, but this was close to home, It did not make me want to stop going to Temple. I only embrace my faith even more as a result of shootings because I need it more. It is incredibly sad that we cannot feel safe in our schools, churches, movie theaters, streets and dance clubs. I wish that a year from now at next Rosh Hashanah I will marvel at the world’s positive change and our significant progress toward gun control.
One event in the world that has impacted me this year was the murder of Nipsy Hussle. This event was so impactful because it affected the community that I've been welcomed into so deeply. It was so inspiring and yet heartbreaking to see the South LA community so united and yet so hurt at the same time.
I moved to NYC. This has been a dream of mine since I was a little girl. I have been very fortunate to find an incredible apartment and decent roommates. It has also been very stressful as I don't think I was fully prepared for the financial burdens. I have lived with roommates and paid my bills before, but NYC is a different world. I was fully prepared for rent, but food, fun, or unknown expenses have really taken a toll. Which in turn, means I work more. I love living here. Regardless of noise, smell, or cost. I love it.
The fight for human rights in Nicaragua. I know I should care more about what's happening in my country, but I've compartmentalized it. Meeting Jordan really taught me what it's like to be a refugee, to seek asylum. The experience impacted me deeply. Deeply enough to have helped him with $400 so far (and Jay $300!). Haha. Anyways, it has made that issue real for me, and also made me realize my own gifts here in the US.
Right-wing "extremists" have won the local elections. I really felt down for a while, and I even became suspicious: 1 in 5 people around me are pretty cold-hearted, and for quite some time, every time I talked to someone, I wondered if they belonged to those 20%. I lost a bit of my naive optimism.
Recently Blizzard’s reprehensible response to the Hearthstone winner’s pro-Hong Kong message has been tough to sit with. And it’s made me think a lot about the complicated role of games in my life. I’m also so happy that Elizabeth Warren has done so well, and I’m really hoping that Trump with get pushed out of office one way or another next year.
The increasing numbers and events of young climate activists has been so encouraging. It seems that young people are not taking the lack of interest in the part of the Trump administration lying down! I don't know of any young people (even Sasha) that are climate deniers. On the other side, the republican spin on the Mueller report was depressing. The current impeachment inquiry is heating up but I am not sanguine (is anyone?) It continues to astound me how people can listen to Trump and not hear the lies and manipulation. I think he believes alot of it, simply because truth and lies are no different to him. Its only for me or against me. I am perfect therefore for me is truth. I read an op ed that stated...If there is smoke coming from your engine you don't need to be a mechanic to know something is wrong with your car. Likewise, you don't need to be a psychiatrist to know something is wrong with Mr. Trump. I blame healthy minds like Mitch McConnell and other republican leaders much more. There was two mass shooting in the same week, in El Paso texas where hispanics were targeted by a racist and in Dayton ohio by a general nutcase. For a while I thought it would matter especially with the democratic nomination debates going on, but again Trump has made promises and been reined back in by the NRA so nothing done. By now all we are talking about is impeachment and little air time for anything else. Come on Dems, get it together.
I'm still really depressed about climate change, but at the same time, I'm starting to feel a glimmer of hope. I feel like all the noise and citizen/consumer action is really starting to have an impact. For instance, Co-op now uses compostable shopping bags, most of the magazines I get come in compostable sleeves, and lots of clothes shops are starting to use sustainable materials or have schemes were you can recycle your clothes. Moving to our little eco village also really encouraged us to think about our eco choices - eg we're both avoiding flying, considering getting an electric car, and investigating schemes like Terra Cycle. I know there's a long way to go, but it feels like change is in the air.
The current events are wearing me down. I want to leave America and never come back, as long as it is divided and such a harsh place to live.
The world continues to batter my soul, as Donald Trump and his henchmen run roughshod over our democracy. How do I pick a single event? Maybe the separation of immigrant children from their parents and their incarceration is the most impactful because it has made me acutely aware in my gut of atrocities that only previously caused a more detached and cerebral form of outrage. I have done some demonstrating, phone calling, and donating, but my goal this year is also to do something tangible about immigration reform and our country's current practice of perpetuating atrocities upon children.
Greta Thunberg. She has really helped to make me even more conscious about my environmental impact and consumer decisions. It's been a big year for spending. We bought a house, an eco house, in an eco town on the edge of Bicester. It's also partly moving to a community like this that encourages us to change our behaviours and habits. We test drove an electric car this morning. By this time next year, we will probably own an electric car. I was really inspired when I learned that Greta travels around Europe by train. I therefore haven't flown this year and don't intend to anytime soon - if ever again. The last time I flew was still in this 10Q year, back in October-November 2018 on our way to and from Rio in Brazil. This has impacted me because, when I went to Geneva in May for a week of training at UNAIDS, I decided not to fly. I got the train instead. And it was great. It meant I had to sacrifice a bank holiday, but it was totally worth it. I liked it so much, in fact, that we travelled by train to the Amalfi coast in Italy for our honeymoon. You don't need to fly in Europe. The train might be a bit more expensive and take a bit longer, but it's a pleasant, comfortable way to travel. UNAIDS refused to pay the full cost of the train; they paid what it would have cost to fly. And my employer, Torchbox, very kindly and nobly agreed to pay the rest. They also gave me half a day of time off in lieu for the lost bank holiday. Not a bad deal.
What hasn't happened in the world this year? We are finding that the entire fabric of our democracy is weak, and perhaps even a sham. Currently-elected leaders are destroying everything we've built as a nation in the last 20-30 years, and I would be surprised if we aren't living in a completely different world in a year.
Essentially everything Tr**p and his administration done has filled me with great anger, frustration and sadness. Why? Because he continually demonstrates his incompetency, ignorance and lack of empathy. I think presidents of the USA should be the opposite of that.
The kids are alright. The climate protests, the gun control protests. The next generation gets it, and we are so very lucky. They have given me hope, where those older and my age have destroyed it. I cry for the Kurds, Syrians, the Afghans and the Iranians. I cry for the people of Hong Kong. But the next generation, i cry tears of happiness, because they may be able to save us all.
I avoid almost all news because I cannot stand the sound of Donald Trump's voice or the hateful, violent nonsense that is generated by his leadership. I am not as well-informed as I need to be, and I think I would be a better citizen if I listened to disagreeable points of view, but I don't have the "spoons" to tolerate very much of the current climate.
Detention of children at border crossings - horrific to see the atrocities our country is committing and to feel that I am complicit by not doing more to stop them.
The more politics in the United States are shifting, unpredictable and creating volatile conversations. The more I want to seek and create sharing. People matter more. What can I do to just be a kindness with anyone I’m in the room with
More things that just point to end times. More division, most likely from the enemy. It hurts my heart. It makes me feel hopeless. I have to make an effort to stay close to the Lord to keep me hopeful and pressing on.
I have been increasingly appalled by the unilateral actions Donald Trump has taken to betray our allies, limit and destroy the civil rights of most Americans ( including all women), and hasten the destruction of natural and cultural resources. It's becoming difficult to maintain any sense of hope for the future as we see how fast the good work of decades can be dismantled. On the other hand, it has motivated me to take small but ongoing political action toward voter empowerment and support for impeachment .
In addition to the usual Brexit nonsense, there's now the imminent threat of environmental catastrophe. And the Extinction Rebellion protestors are awful at their jobs. So no one is listening. I wonder if I'm even going to have a future to plan for. What's the point in struggling now and trying to get a degree and figure out where I want to live if the world is going to die soon?
We are still on the runaway train that is the Donald Trump presidency, and it is extremely stressful. He is stepping on allies, immigrants, the environment, the constitution, and basic human decency. Worse still, the same sentiment is beginning to rise throughout the world. There may be dark times ahead. Is this what it felt like in the 1930s?
The growing anger at climate change. I'm not sure it will make a difference but the awareness is growing that we are at crisis point. I fear we may be too late though.
I know it happened years ago, but I feel like the attack on the world trade center on 9/11 has had a greater affect on me this year than it ever has before. Perhaps I've only gotten old enough to appreciate the horror of that day, now.
The shooting at the tree of life synagogue was very scary and a reminder of the continuous antisemitism that still exists.
Oh G-d. Where do I even start? So many events. So much hatred and death. So many shootings. It's overwhelming. And so many nonsense developments with our president. It's all crazy and overwhelming and stressful and feels like too much sometimes. But then I look at my life, personally, and Baruch Hashem, it's good. I don't know how to reconcile the fact that I am happy, well-fed, safe, healthy, and in a loving family and community when there are so many people in this world that don't have these basic needs met. Especially the children in the camps. When did America become early Nazi Germany? How do we put an end to human rights abuses? Please help us.
Global Climate Change. I am terrified. I feel powerless. It is testing my spirituality and hope.
Donald Trump has continued to run the White House and the US Government like a Banana Republic Dictator -- and with the revelations about his extortion of the country of Ukraine, Nancy Pelosi and the Democratic House of Representatives have FINALLY decided to pursue impeachment. It is my most fervent prayer that this results not only in his removal, but also in the complete and utter disgrace of every member of the Congress and his administration who has collaborated in this attempt to destroy our democracy and fleece and leave vulnerable the American people.
The attack on the Kurds a few days ago. I don't think that it's going to get better soon, and a lot of people are about to die. I'm sad that more awful things are happening. I'm angry I can't stop it. I'm losing my mind that everything keeps falling apart, and all for the most base and savage reasons. I am a part of this insane world, and this ride ain't stopping. God help us all.
There were so many anti-Semitic incidents this year, Pittsburgh, Poway, and others. It's sad to me that as a Jew, I can't be somewhere in the Jewish community and think about the possibility of an incident. M wears a fairly large sized star of David. She's proud of her heritage (which I love), but it makes me a bit uncomfortable as there have been multiple incidents at her high school.
The increase in mass shootings, including shootings in synagogues and other places of worship. Some days it feels as if there is nowhere that is safe; that the seemingly random places of some shootings and the deliberate choices of others shows that we are all at risk. I don't let this stop me from going to shul or going to the theater or concerts. And I hope that the work I do touches people's lives in a positive way; that it makes the world a better place. But I worry that I am not doing enough to make a difference and I wonder what I could / should be doing.
The terrorist attack in New Zealand that saw over 50 people murdered as they were praying in Mosque. This event had a huge impact on me. It was heart breaking that people are experience this horrendous extreme racism. It made me mad that this happens, that we a quick to label a crime by a person of colour as terrorism but quick to make excuses when the perpetrator is white man. As a jew and a human being it is our responsibility to stand up and say this is not ok. We will not sit and do nothing while racism and hatred and fear mongering and hate rhetoric is spewed out and used by our governments to win votes and elections. We have to be the change, we have to call this hate speech out. It does not belong anywhere in the world and it stops and starts with us. We need to remember that the standard we walk past is the standard that we accept. I will not walk past racism and not do anything about it. It stops with me.
climate crisis has finally reached the tipping point in people's minds, it seems - we're too late...
All the turmoil, disappointment, anger, and fear President Trump has caused by fracturing our relationships with our closest allies, and by taking the USA out of international trade agreements and nuclear containment treaties frightens me a great deal. He is moving us into a much more unstable political situation and does not seem to care about the risk of nuclear war or the risk of devastation due to climate change and global warming.
We continue to live in this terrible Trump world. Children separated from family and living in cages. People without access to toothpaste, tampons, basic needs. American citizens having their passports seized as fakes although they're not. ICE whisking away townspeople in the middle of the night. If I only knew how to rally people against this, I would. I think frequently about the civil rights movement and the freedom riders and how they organized and how long it took them to be able to make a difference. I hope someone can become the voice of us all to stop this inhumanity and save America from herself.
The shootings. Antisemitism is back as violence. It's given me this shaking, like, "Okay! It's time to get serious about Judaism! If they hate you for your love of HaShem, explore that love!" And I'm just sorta living in that.
One series of events that has had a real, concrete effect on me is the trade war with China. My company stocks dropped by over 50% from November to April, and it was really discouraging since I'm working hard to pay off my student loans and could use the extra money. It seems like my entire life has been an uphill battle, and Trump is definitely not making things any easier for me or anyone else that isn't in the richest 1% in this country. He's killing the middle class. On top of that, anti-intellectualism continues to affect me in a negative way. I have to keep reminding myself that not all humanity is like this and that there are plenty of good people out there who are willing to work together to save us from ourselves. I hope that in the coming years, we turn ourselves around and start working to save the planet, decrease income inequality, and fix some of the many other problems in this country.
I think that the event that has impacted me most was Notre Dame and Amazonas fire.. I felt that something is wrong with the world and I regret that I haven't visited Paris already.
Watching the animal liberation marches around the world (specifically the one in the UK). To see the passion of like minded people that feel the urgency makes me feel morally obligated to be an activist for the animals.
I'm not sure I can narrow it down to just one. It is more so the increasing levels of anti-semitic violence and hate speech that is now a part of our every day lives. There's now a numbness, a sense of vulnerability, of inevitability, and it is terrifying.
I think the increased focus on climate change has been good but it is really stressful and at times I feel powerless or hopeless. On a more maybe positive note, as I write this we're in the early stages of impeachment hearings; I see that last year it was the 2018 primaries when I wrote and the house did successfully flip last year which is why we are even discussing impeachment.
Not as much as one, but I can't remember being that aware of global warming before. Storms and heatwaves and Amazonian forests and how is humanity gonna survive itself.
This has always been a difficult 10Q question: part of being an American, it seems, has always been insulating yourself from world events--for better and for worse. Perhaps I'll mention the opioid epidemic: the latest in a series of flagrant mass murders by a company, and a family within that company, protected by the best insulator: gobs and gobs of cash. Studying the epidemic at school, and recognizing traces of the epidemic at the very edges of my own social circles, has made me wonder what I can do on the side in order to deal with this crisis, a crisis that seems so much more sizable than, say, global warming and climate change, but which really is as age-old and enormous and terrible as is capitalism-induced environmental destruction: the endurance, and the sheer opportunity, of elemental human pain and despair.
They FINALLY started an impeachment inquiry! This has given me tentative hope. I am enraged that it was NOT because of hate crimes and literal concentration camps targeting my people, but I'm glad they're finally trying. Even if it took targeting a rich white boy to do it.
I've become an environmentalist after learning more about climate change. Actually, I haven't even learned that much more, I just am getting more nervous. So now I compost and am mindful to basically only use my car when it's on the electric mode. I bike to school, which is good. I have been getting more into plants and feel more in touch with nature.
I have been deeply affected by Greta Thunberg. Her idealism, determination, and commitment to her beliefs is inspiring my parenting. I no longer steer my kids away from things I think they can't do, but brainstorm with them ways to do it. They are smarter than we think, these kids.
The president’s actions this past year, and fear of what he’s capable of, has me very anxious and stressed. To see someone that has zero disregard for people that are different from him makes me fearful. His most recent actions makes me fear for the future.
In 2017 I wrote: • Against all predictions (and I want to say reason), Trump was elected… It is hard not to despair. • People continue to flee from war and persecution, and the countries they flee to struggle to help them, and then overwhelmed, reject them… It is hard not to despair. • Just as there are no new answers at the national level--the Dems and Reps continue to repeat push previous policies and ideas without understanding the circumstances have changed--neither are there new answers for global problems…. It is hard not to despair. • And then there are hurricanes and earthquakes and people blaming 'climate change deniers' as though the US reducing our carbon footprint would have stopped any from occurring… It is hard not to despair. In 2018 I wrote: I read what I wrote last year and think Nothing’s Changed And think again — Well, maybe things have changed, but only [by] degree. I didn’t mention, but perhaps it was implied, the change was to the worse. I did try for some hope — wages up and North Korea didn’t display new weaponry, but the hope was weak, struggling to remain. This year: Things have only gotten worse. Republicans still can’t admit (at least publicly) the president (and his ego) are a danger to the country and possibly to the world. An impeachment inquiry is underway and may provide the cover the GOP thinks it needs. The president seems to have a counterpart in the UK with Boris Johnson who appears determined to rip the UK from the European Union, the consequences of which can only be imagined. While they may not be as catastrophic as some predict, they won’t be good. Migrants continue to move north to uncertain, often hostile, welcomes and changes in weather patterns making bad situations worse. Few, if any of the many voices heard, look at the problems we face globally and see common aspects of income inequity and disappearing resources. It is hard not to despair. And, again, I add on the last day--we have abandoned the Kurds in Syria to the Turks -- It is hard not to despair.
Everything political in the US in 2019... Our terrible president who is also a terrible human, the Republicans who enable him, etc. I have been hiding in nursing school for the last couple of years and not paying as much attention to current events as I have in the past, but the truth is that it's just too stressful and I feel that I personally can't do anything about it, except vote. But that's not an everyday action. So my only everyday action is to be the best person I can be, be service-oriented and compassionate, and try to spread kindness through my actions one person at a time. Some people think this is a cop-out, but what else can I do? I can't care about every single person's opinion of me. You can't please everyone. So I am doing what feels right to me.
Our political world is in turmoil. This past year saw the confirmation of Brett Kavanaugh, despite Christine Blasey Ford's compelling testimony that he sexually assaulted her. We also saw an election that simultaneously left the Senate in the hands of the Republicans while returning control of the House of Representatives to Nancy Pelosi at the helm of the most diverse class yet of Democratic lawmakers, including the amazing and fabulous "Squad." We saw the conclusion of the Mueller investigation and William Barr's successful muffling of the contents of the Mueller report. Most recently, there is the whistleblower's report and the formal opening of an impeachment inquiry, with Republicans insisting that none of Trump's jaw-dropping actions amount to a smoking gun. I've left out all of the inhumane actions taken by the Trump administration that infuriate me on a daily basis. Instead, I am focusing here only on events unfolding inside the Washington beltway, because they have left me so, so cynical. Everything comes down to raw power; nothing about our democracy is sacred. The thirst for power is not new, its acknowledgement was built into our system of checks and balances. But the norms and rules that have governed our nation are eroding, and the power-hungry power brokers are breaking our democracy. These events are refracted throughout our electorate, leaving a great schism in their wake. I find myself less trusting of my fellow Americans than I can ever remember feeling. I am pessimistic about whether we can ever repair the damage wrought by these events.
The most important event(s) in the past 12 months was probably the synagogue shootings in Pittsburgh and Poway, and now in Germany. The fact that there had never been a shooting like that in a synagogue in the 300 year history of America until now is crazy, but the times we live in are honestly getting worse in terms of mainstream antisemitism. The fact that this administration encourages extremists like this is terrifying. I'm hoping the political climate improves somehow but that is nearly impossible by this point. This affected me by really making me think about the state of being Jewish in America, and how the lax security at my synagogue growing up can't continue anymore. Seeing security at synagogue makes me feel safer about being there, but the fact that it has to exist in the first place deeply saddens me.
I am very much affected by the impeachment proceedings in the U.S. I have felt for a while that I cannot live in the U.S. unless the situation changes significantly and compelled to follow the developments closely. I hope this situation is resolved for the better and the U.S. will have a brighter future than is seemingly possible at this moment in time.
The way the US is treating immigrants at our southern border - essentially operating concentration camps. At the same time, Alabama has made it a punishable crime for women to access abortions. I have always assumed that with time comes progress. There are so many issues I care about and see as critical to our collective freedom and existence. How do I help? And I can't tackle everything - so how do you decide your priority?
I don't have a solid answer to this question. I've started to shut down and block out and become numb to what's going on. I feel helpless. What can I do to really affect change? I can vote and give my resources but against the size and systemic nature of our problems, what real chance do I have to make a difference?
The women in my company building orphanages for refugee children. They put the word out for funds, many donated, and it felt wonderful knowing innocent children are impacted in an amazing and positive way.
The horrible rise in antiSemitism (from left, right and extreme Islam) and trying to discuss it with the girls and with well everyone. It is just frightening to think of how the world shifts under our feet. Goes hand in hand with the worry about Trump and the total eroding of truth in this world.
Nothing is still any better. World events are just bad now.
The weight of the Trump autocracy pressures each day. I feel constant sorrow for us as a country. I'm bewildered by those who are fooled by him, and furious with those who aren't but go along with him to enrich themselves or gain power or hurt others. I'm saddened by the fear that drives his support. It's a weight that accompanies my life. I understand, for the first time, what it means to be swept up in the tide of history. A poisonous tide.
Humans are funny creatures. Some of us are extremely introspective. Alot are not. We all need to quiet the noise outside of ourselves and listen and see clearly what we could do for ourselves and eachother. We all could be less selfish. We all could forgive and connect with eachother. It's hard I understand but it's possible I believe to create so much more with eachother. There are too many things to think about that have impacted me.
There's just so much. But to me, climate change and the worldwide impact is now forefront in my mind.
Last year the Amazon rain forest was on fire, this was a terrible event in the world. But because of this a whole generation of young hopeful people went to the streets to have good climate rules! This let me see how a lot of people can come together with the same ideals, and change things in the world
As someone who considers themselves to be active in environmental politics and policy, I was thrilled to see Swedish teenager Greta Thunberg shake the world and demand action on climate change. I am inspired by her fearless rhetoric and willingness to confront powerful global leaders. She also has made me more intolerant of inaction, especially with leaders in my home state of Virginia. How can politicians worry about what is politically feasible when climate change is the greatest crisis modern humanity has ever faced and threatens life on the entire planet? What's good enough is not what climate-concerned politicians and regulators think can pass politically; what's good enough is what the science demands. I think I would benefit from reconsidering my quick reflex to thank those in power for taking steps that are far below what the science demands. To accept and congratulate ourselves for taking noteworthy but inconsequential actions is to curse the lives of future generations.
this has been going on for way longer than just this year and is still ongoing but family separations at the border has been one of the many gutwrenching humanitarian issues that i better understood this year. just tore my heart out as a mom and a health care provider. after trump is impeached he should be sentenced to time in one of the ICE centers.
Not a single event, but having the Supreme Court debate LGBTQ employment rights, my first meeting as a potential facilitator at the Center, the CNN LGBTQ town hall, and Coming Out Day all in one week showed my just how much queer life affects me. It was a roller coaster of stressful and affirming situations.
This is technically October 2018, but it was Cheshvan 5779, so it counts: The shooting at the Tree of Life synagogue - Or L’Simcha Congregation in Pittsburgh. 11 Jews were killed and the world was reminded that antisemitism was still alive and well. I hate that it happened. I bring it up now, every time someone is surprised that I'm afraid to reveal that I'm Jewish or that I have a love and respect for Israel.
This year I've been more involved with the things of this world and a thing has already occupied me more is climate change. Not only did I follow the discussions, but I also began to wonder what I could do. So I changed small things, that may not look like anything, but hopefully make a difference in the end.
The rise of anti-Semitism in America, including multiple violent shootings at synagogues, is terrifying to me. I want to protect my children and I want to vomit from terror and I want to show my strength and work to end the scourge of multiple millennia. I want to work against gun proliferation and against racism of all kinds. It is sickening to me and I feel unable to convey the importance to my non-Jewish spouse, and that is why we've latched onto the immigration issue - people seeking asylum at our US southern border with Mexico, and longtime American residents - as an issue that we can learn more about and take action together as a family. I was so so proud to teach my children my values and have them stand with me at the pro-immigration rally this past summer (with my mother-in-law). Truly a wonderful moment, to take a global issue and make it personal.
Setting aside every single thing Trump does, it does appear that Greta Thunburg's UN speech on climate crisis has impacted not just me, but everyone. Then again, it might just be fresh in our minds. Will we change? So much plastic, so much energy consumption, so much driving... Another event? Perhaps Brexit, which is pushing the GBP down, and hence my savings. Perhaps I'm not very tuned into the world, or I'm tuned in daily and every event feels about the same magnitude.
Any and all of the horrors inflicted by the Trump administration. Our nation is forever stained. The cruelty inflicted and the overt bigotry is counter to the values with which I was raised and which I hold dear. My country doesn’t feel like my country anymore. It is being run by thugs.
Hearing about underground church in China being persecuted /thriving
The spread of extinction rebellion has made me much more co scoops of meat consumption and single-use plastics.
The negative things happening in our world are pelleting us like raining bullets. It never seems to stop. So, the sheer volume of huge problems to solve is changing me and us...and I think paralyzing us all.
Lots of mass shootings in the past year. All schools are doing active shooter drills, and preaching the “Run Hide Fight” strategy. I am doing what I can to stay engaged and to fight for peace and justice.
While all of this past year’s mass shootings in United States and the world (notably New Zealand and Sri Lanka) were horrible, I was most affected by the attack on the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh, where 11 souls were taken and many more bodies were left in need of physical, spiritual and mental healing, on American soil, simply because they were Jewish. I happened to be at a friend's wedding that day, whose family has ties to that congregation going back generations. They made it clear that the answer to hatred and fear is sharing love and joining in celebration. I was deeply moved by the strong solidarity shown at prayers around the country the following week via the #ShowUpForShabbat movement, and by the turnout from my graduate school peers and professors of all faiths at a Bradeis Heller/Hornstein program I helped run. "It is a Tree of Life for those who grasp it" - these words, taken from the Book of Proverbs, close each traditional Torah reading service. I will never read that verse the same way again, yet I am inspired that the Hebrew root of grasp (ch-z-k) means strength. I will continue, personally and professionally, to strongly uphold in our cherished way of life as Jews and as Americans.
More of the same shit-show that is in the White House. I’ve gotten much better at not listening to news and carefully choosing what issues to read about in reputable & trustworthy newspapers and magazines. I am not sick to my stomach and angry nearly as often.
Can't think of one, really. Been very focused, cabin-fevery just to get through school.
I don't follow world events. They all impact us anyway.
Political tensions are increasing as the Democrats root themselves more firmly in identity politics and the Republicans move more toward center. Donald Trump continues to spout at the mouth but hasn't seemed to do any tangible harm. The immigration crisis (people moving here illegally) continues, and the parties couldn't be more divided on how to handle it. I wonder how that affects the day to day lives of the kids that I teach at school. I always hate answering this question because talking about politics is honestly just not that interesting to me haha.
Without a doubt the awereness about climate change. It has made me want to pursue a dream of mine: reforestation of the urban environment.
Doug Ford making changes to OSAP as I don’t receive any extra funding to pay for my books or other costs as I had in previous years. This leaves me tight on money and struggling.
I think there’s something important in the fact that I wasn’t able to invest much energy or attention in what was happening in the world this year. It was so full of upheaval in my heart and body that no matter how much I stayed on top of things, I just couldn’t give my energy to it in the way I might normally. But I was doing my best regardless. That’s for sure.
Honestly, it’s been such a big year personally that I’d have trouble answering to world events. To pick two though, I’d point to the escalating gun violence in the US and the leadership the youth have shown. It’s inspiring on the one hand, and infuriating on the other - that these adults are so desperate to keep their guns that they will literally traumatise small children as the price they pay. The other would be in a similar vein and relates to the climate. It feels like this groundswell of activity from young people around the world is finally what might trigger some change? Dog know nothing else has. I think overall it just feels like we’re at a point in the world where lines are being drawn and things are being pulled into sharper relief. Can only hope that it’s a tipping point, really.
Listening to Greta Thunberg speak out about climate change and not get the kind of response from the American Government she should have is appalling. I don't know if in 8.5 years the oceans will really rise to such drastic sea levels that we won't be able to recover the change, but I ask every human, why do we want to stand ideally by and wait to find out? Why don't we just take a proactive approach and do what we need to do to reverse the effects as much as possible NOW.
Not much, really. I'm aware of events in the world in a vague sort of way, but none of them have directly impacted me that I've noticed. I've been largely keeping my head down, trying to balance family and work and still trying to be a whole, individual person as well, and it's taken a lot out of me. I feel like I should care, especially about a lot of the more fucked up stuff going on, but I just can't seem to muster the energy.
I want to pay way less attention to the news. Life is awesome, California is awesome, we’re doing it right here. Hell with Federal/USA government and politics, gotta tend to my own garden.
I struggled with this question. With all that has been going on in my personal life, I have been more disconnected from the outside world that I feel like I have ever been. As such, I decided to go with a somewhat recent event that struck a chord with me in that it gave me some hope. I was really excited to see the scope and scale of the climate strikes that happened last month around the world. If there is a chance of salvaging anything of a future for my children's children at this point, it is going to be because of people like Greta Thunberg who are no longer willing to accept platitudes and incremental change. Mine was not that long ago the young generation that I thought would be the change we wanted to see in the world, but I left it to others, and it didn't happen. I really hope that doesn't happen again, because this may very well be the last chance, if it isn't already too late.
Fucking everything. Fucking every miserable thing. Trump has become the dark lord to half my friends. We have children in cages on our southern border. We abandoned our Kurd allies. We are debating the legitimacy of transgender rights. We are struggling to impeach a criminal. It's nothing but fucking awful all the time. This is the year i stopped believing we can do anything. But it's also the year i became so fucking angry about it that i don't care anymore. I give every chance i can get. I'm deeper in debt than i've ever been. I'm isolated or exiled from every religion, community or geographic location i've ever treasured. My health is failing, my heart is done. But i don't fucking care. I'm going to thrash and flail and claw at every institution of power as i die. I'm going to go out screaming. Fuck every stupid shit leader that's fumbling over their powerbase right now. Fuck every group that can't see outside their own borders to the humanity in every single one of us. Fuck tribalism. Fuck politics. Fuck greed. Fuck it all. I'm here to make beautiful shit and piss everyone off until i'm dead. Shouldn't take too long.
The Pittsburgh shooting. Just knowing that while at worship, a group of Jews not unlike me were targeted and killed during Shabbat services. The deadliest attack against the Jewish people in the US. Knowing that there is that much hate in this country and imagining the terror they experienced in their last moments.
Same as last year, tbh. The world is a giant dumpster fire. The Tree of Life shooting in Pittsburgh was really an eye opener. And then there was Poway and then Halle. The Jewish community is not safe and white nationalists/fascists/xenophobic assholes are targeting us all the time.
Christchurch massacre. People gunned down inside a mosque. Heartbreaking and terrible. And it happened here. Was proud of the way most of Aotearoa responded, They Are Us. Jacinda Arden did a great job. Climate Strikes. Greta Thunberg. Why aren't the leaders DOING stuff!! We all know it has to happen. We even know it will be uncomfortable and we want to do it anyway!!!! Hurry up!!
All the rape/sexual assault that has come to light. I'm so numb.
The Notre Dame fire. Whatever is built here on earth has shelf life. But whatever is built in the Spirit can never be shaken, burned or torn down
So many negative events. Has there been anything positive that is big? Trump is crazier every day and the idiot, wimpy Republicans (white men) support him every step of the way. Mass shootings don't phase people any longer. Children randomly and 'accidentally' shot in Chicago often. Other countries falling apart, whether it is people starving in Venezuela, protesting for rights in Hong Kong, Brexit. Weather changes causing harm around the world. I have to focus on simple, kind everyday occurrences that show kindness and compassion and give me hope. Without thinking that way the negativity and hate would smother me.
I'm really not sure there's one specific thing from this year. Everything just kind of feels hopeless at this point and I don't really feel like there's anything I can do to change things
I got this FB "memories" notice today from 7 years ago that is a picture of big bird's arm holding up Obama's campaign image. So, it is really hard to talk about anything other than the continued clown show that is our country's executive branch. It is beyond unbelievable. People in this country have come out of the woodwork, showing us how absolutely horrible so many people really are. That is the most disheartening thing, that I really believed that people were on the whole . . . BETTER than that. This week, impeachment has started, and I hope by next year at this time, we will all be telling a very different story.
Oh lord help me. Don't watch or read the news because it is all Trump acting like a damned fool. I'm trying to come more informed and educated about policies I wasn't interested in before, and really trying to work on my Israel knowledge. I loved spending the time I spent there, and I really look forward to hopefully being able to make Aliyah when we are older. But now I need to continue to stay on top of Israeli news and see how it will impact my future and those who I care about who live there.
An event that impacted me this year was the large number of mass shootings, and the ones that were directed at Jewish communities. I hate that at any large gathering of people, I stop and think about what would I do if there was an active shooter. It scares me and at times makes me want to leave situations, especially when I am with Lillie and Pearl.
I was startled to see headlines of families separated from each other at the US border. I don't understand why we are trying to keep out the people that need our help.
There's a world outside my brain?
Everything political in the US is scary and worrisome. I see how lucky I was that I had Obama as my president for 8 years. We were all so lucky. Even those who claimed they hated him. Their lives were better then. I can't believe that there are so many people who voted for the current occupier of the WH. He is not a president. He might be a mafia boss. And the thing that hurts the most, that I can not fathom is how is it that the republicans in the senate continue to support him, now that there is an impeachment in progress, they can take part in it, but no. They fight it. Our democracy, our beautiful and fragile democracy is at stake! Our way of life, all our freedoms! And they do nothing to put a stop to the erosion. And why? I ask and all I hear is they are afraid of him. That is not a good reason to look the other way when you are the one who have the reigns in your hands. I'm worried, I'm sad. And I haven't even started to write about the Kurds in Syria that the current occupier of the WH has allowed Turkey to massacre. And why do they want to, why is there so much hatred in the world. I'll never understand that. My mother is a holocaust survivor.
The Camp Fire in Paradise, CA in November was devastating, as was the apocalyptic conditions in the Bay Area. Again, I feel it is a harbinger of climate change things to come. "The world’s climate is changing and human activity is the cause. Scientists have been telling us this for more than three decades and evidence backs them up. A sobering report released by the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) in October 2018 says we may have as few as twelve years to act or pass the point of no return. To judge by the powerful hurricanes, devastating wildfires, floods, and record-breaking heat in 2018 that climate change fueled, we won’t like the world we are heading toward. But neither the UN report, nor the freak weather events of 2018, nor the release of a U.S. government report outlining how much climate change will harm the U.S. economy has turned President Trump into a climate-change believer. His rebuttal to the National Climate Assessment Report was simple: “I don’t believe it.” The odds are good—very, very good—that scientists have a better handle on the future we face." Also, I finally got to see the Sumatran rhinos at Tabin in April 2019. Then, a mere month later, Tam the male rhino died. And then, in Sabah, there was one. Extinction looms for this genera. I've been thinking quite a lot about extinction and how to do good in the face of it.
The shooting at the Tree is Life synagogue in Pittsburgh hit me and the Jewish community nationally and globally pretty hard. It hit me like a punch to the gut, how unexpected and horrible. And then on Yom Kippur we learned about the horrible incident in Germany... The current rise in anti semitism cannot be ignored. But it also cannot be taken out of the context of today's rise in overall groups United by hate and hate crimes. We are not the only targets. We must address the issue of hate with this in mind - we must teach tolerance and love, not guarding ourselves until we have no connection with the rest of the world...
I am not exactly someone who keeps himself "in the know". And I have, for most of this past year, avoided watching the news or browsing articles that relate to the news. It wasn't in the last year, but the Trump presidency and the surrounding news media has certainly changed my relationship with information and how I choose to consume it.
I'm still overwhelmed on a daily basis at the horrible news every day. I don't think I can narrow it down.
Anti-semitism is on the rise in the world and that is quite upsetting as I’m not really sure what we can do about it. Hopefully I can put some more thought into it this year.
This year the conversation about climate change finally took hold. I see how people around me have already given up the fight. They think it is too late. I do not wish to give up. But I also just want to rest. To enjoy what is left. My missions seem to dissolve in the face of the scale of disaster. I want a dog, a good dinner, good friends, a loving partner. I feel their absence so keenly these days.
The ongoing political climate continues to have an impact on my family. Outside of my personal beliefs and advocacy, the government shutdown was very jarring. I work for a local government and when the federal government was shut down, we were faced with really hard decisions around how to sustain our programs, community and staff. I am very proud of how my organization rallied to make the best of it! However, it was very frightening. One of the historical perks of working for the government was the stability. The shutdown drove home this is no longer the case and made me concerned for my family and everyone as a whole.
There is so much negative going on. Destruction, hate, false information. It creates mistrust. I try to choose as much as I can, to live in peace and with what I can control. And to spread that joy with others.
The wildfires of last November in Northern California. We sat barricaded in our apartment for almost a week with the air purifiers running, wet towels under the doors and paper taped over the vents. Our daughter was a tiny infant and I felt deeply worried about the potential long-term effects of smoke inhalation on her developing lungs. The fires also ensured that I look at the fire risk of any house that we're considering and refuse to buy a home that can't be insured against fire.
Event... well, not so much an event as it's #45. He has got to go!
Well, besides the fact that Trump is an asshole. Not sure what else there is. Hard political realities are making us all sad.