2020 has been one hell of a year and it still has a couple months to go! These photos are from the last time the Ohio River got out of its banks good here, back in 2018, but I feel like they're representative of the flood of troubles we've faced this year. From a flood of covid-19 cases to literal floods around the world, wildfires and protests flooding the headlines and filling the air with smoke and rage, the deluge of troubles has seemed unceasing this year.
Judging by the recent numbers, the pandemic seems to be going in the wrong direction. Found out the other day that the only nursing home in my hometown has 24 staff and 69 out of 109 patients infected and that's in a town of only a thousand people.
With all the protests breaking out around the world, against police brutality, government corruption and incompetence, and general oppression, it looks like the pandemic isn't the only thing going the wrong way. None of these things just started this year but it seems like covid has brought everything to a head. I suspect with the uncertainty of a pandemic looming over everyone, the sense of having little left to lose has increased exponentially.
We seem to have done our damndest to trash each other and the planet and much as the flood brought all this discarded trash back to us, it seems our actions are coming back to haunt us this year. Also, much like all this garbage, these problems ain't going away any time soon.
One of the things that this year has highlighted is the inability of governments to effectively deal with problems and issues that arise. This means that if anything is to be done about it, it is up to you and I to make the effort and take action, to do whatever little bit we can do individually and find others to work with to tackle the bigger problems. Hive gives me hope, to me it is a shining example of how a group of disparate individuals scattered across the globe can come together to build better things and lift one another up.
The incongruity of this last shot feels like it fits well with all that has happened this year. Hopefully, much as these floodwaters eventually receded, this flood of trouble does as well.