Lessons From 2022

Dixya Poudel

Throughout the year 2022, nations were thrown off-balance due to a number of factors, primary of which was inflation. Even developed nations faced inflation at a record high level. Globally, inflation is likely to spill over to 2023 as the current year nears its end.  

As prices hiked in petroleum fuels and daily necessities during 2022, there was a rising level of desperation in a global scale. A once quite thriving Sri Lanka became an example of failed economy as inflation and its consequences took a heavy toll. A South Asian nation, Sri Lanka is heeded as a warning to underdeveloped countries which have had a grim economic and political outlook.

The Ukraine war further caused ripple effects on the global energy market as world economy slumped. Thus a culmination of economic downturns, health-care glitches caused by the pandemic and disruption of energy supply in a global scale shook the world.

One can’t also rule out extreme weather that severely devastated lives of people. Pakistan saw one-third of its land under water due to floods that displaced many and led to human casualties and destruction of properties. Other natural disasters throughout the world took place in form of wildfires, landslides, hurricanes and floods. Further, even as the world recuperated from the pandemic, people faced one problem after another.

Latin American countries saw much political unrest. Meanwhile, European nations too had their share of upheavals in areas such as politics, energy crisis, cost-of-living crisis and even consequences of extreme weather. In Iran, protests broiled in its heights due to the death of an innocent woman at the hands of morality police.

These are just some of the highlights of 2022 when things escalated out of hand and resulted in the seething frustration in people amid the social, political, economic, and climate crises. The year 2022 in hindsight seems like a car crash in slow motion where problems snowballed into a slumped growth. It saw even the most developed nations embroiled in the aftereffects of the war in Ukraine and the trails of the pandemic. 

Yet, however frustrating this year has been, people are turning to the upcoming year as a beacon of hope. It is in human nature to envision a better world for oneself and for the coming generations. Further, although it doesn’t help to overthink about the past, one good thing is that one can learn from it. Each year brings its own sets of ups and downs. If one is looking at the brighter sides of 2022, the loosening grip of pandemic stands out most prominently.

After the two long years of struggle and suffering, the pandemic subsided and people could finally take a long held breath of relief. Next, tourism started to gain pace as well. Airports were overcrowded as people were able to travel once again. Closer to home in Nepal, general elections were conducted peacefully. 

One can thus conclude that it hasn’t all been bleak. There are rays of hope and rejuvenation in people’s outlook after times of restricted travel and redefinition of the normal. As 2023 is fast approaching, nations, organisations, institutes and even people can take the lessons learnt from 2022 for the upcoming days. And lessons to be learned from 2022 are that of resilience and endurance even in the darkest of moments.