2021 has reached the end

   2021 has finally come to an end, putting us in front of an archive of 12 months we have spent full of dramas, actions, and black, white, and sometimes gray days, eventful days too.

This archive shows us the moments we have spent roaming this earth to achieve the goals we came to this life. The wheel of life is running, and within it, there is a lot to keep it running as optimally as we wish or the best way that satisfies us. The nature of human beings is always looking for perfection as God -the almighty- entirely created us until we became with a perfect face, mind, and capacities to contribute to developing all walks of life. Meanwhile, God created human beings at various levels of mental and corporal capabilities. But it's our responsibility to invest them in the right way. The field fits into his capacities driven by the interests, inclinations, and propensities to achieve whatever goals we have studied, learned, or received training to perform satisfyingly. It explains the clear rule to all of us is a human being without goals is a heavy burden with meaningless life and won't receive people's respect in the long run. As such, we should always learn how to fill in whichever gaps exist around us and exert efforts for that. 

In the light of that, every year passes by compiling various episodes, reflecting our aspirations and whatever we need in this life. Sometimes we are confused about which direction to follow, but there is a pearl of wisdom derived from past experiences that guide us through. Let's look for it, although there is still more to add to this wisdom from our own experiences. There is no prosperous future without suitable lessons learned from the past. That's why we have to look back at history to reconsider our calculations for the present and pursue a better off future—looking back at 2021, changes sought by people towards better-off life enjoying welfare and other fundamental rights minimally. Still, people are grappling worldwide with many issues; sky-rocketing living costs, increasing the gap among the social classes, the middle class is being vanished, the current pandemic Covid-19, etc.

Regarding ownership of properties, we have observed that the high class or wealthy groups are now controlling entire sectors, leading to middle-class groups giving up on their properties, seeking out a more affordable economic life. It's a crystal clear fact can be observed in metropolitan areas; the middle classes in the upcoming years will no longer be able to cope with the ramifications of the explosion of the prices, waiving their properties to the wealthy groups. I have observed this phenomenon in different places where I traveled this year. The underprivileged groups, it's statistically apparent, and even the manifestations indicate that no chance for many needy people to enjoy minimally what the rich people have. There is still no chance for them to move to the cosmopolitan areas and work or even enjoy some rights there. 

It's a depressing reality that never ends. The global policies still have a daunting way to overcome those international obstacles, including the ultimate goal of climate change policies that have changed lifelines in entire communities. For instance, Madagascar occupied the headlines this year, claimed to have been the world's first climate change-induced disaster, showing a severe drought source of threat, especially for farmers grappling with famine in many places. In many other areas still, people lack suitable infrastructure and barely find potable water. Natural drained resources that the campaigns that became dominant on media outlets warned of the consequences of natural drainage of these resources, even air, and water pollution. In Africa, generally, the scene despite serenity dominates some regions, still civil war in Ethiopia running, leaving tens of thousands of innocent people homeless and excruciatingly seeking out safety in the steep terrains and plateau, resulting in humanitarian crisis. So reportedly, flagrant human rights violations are claimed to have been practiced by the regime's forces against civilians. 

The situation isn't that different in this continent in other regions; if there is no conflict, there is the plague of poverty and infectious diseases. The oil-rich country Nigeria is a clear example of gross poverty and corruption, misuse of wealth, leading people of the land not to take advantage of their wealth, but left to be preyed on by the transnational oil extraction corporations. The officials enjoy the profits while local people are immensely struggling in the slums. Even the heartbreaking scenes there show entire communities living over ponds and wastewater streams, lacking in health infrastructure. Nigeria is one of many examples of how African nations are still the victims of colonial and imperial rules and their policies after that. Thus, the corrupt leaders drain their wealth that either the black gold or the other natural resources after colonization transitioned from direct military presence to indirect policies left behind by leaders.  

I have seen the penetration of gigantic Chinese corporations. Even China has its arms there, manifestly applying some soft power through raising their hands to help the local populations overcome their poverty, supporting the health and education sectors. Still, it always turns out that these gigantic economies make out of it eventually. Their well-orchestrated propaganda isn't an unfathomable fact to hardly understand the reality in the entire African continent anymore. One statement clarifies transitional corporations preying on the left out or "unexploited" wealth optimally by its native people because they lack the capacities to run tremendous extraction and lucrative mining projects. Likewise, if you own a massive piece of land rich in certain substances, but you don't have the suitable tools to manufacture or recycle, or extract, or whatever project needed to turn this poor land into fertile land. A profitable project to be made out it isn't within reach; this land is useless! It's like a barren desert, nothing liveable.

Consequently, it might be better to sell it or rent it from a company or a tenant who can turn this land into a profitable project, which objectifies to the reality, poverty, shortage of qualified cadres, etc. In many African regions, people lack sophisticated tools to establish industrious projects, then the areas rich in natural resources are left poor. That's why officials in the many regions find themselves compelled to sign down long-term contracts with giant multi-transnational corporations.

Yes, indeed, the soft power that the media of significant economies show off their assistance for emerging countries isn't always beneficial. Still, propaganda doesn't portray the reality in Africa in-depth, attempting to fulfill local people's needs. However, it instills the thoughts in people's minds around the world that the soft power carried out by the significant economies plays significantly in alleviating poverty in the Third World by carrying out such power strategies and assisting those people build-up developmental projects. But, on the other hand, one documentary film on Al-Jazeera, or BBC, or DW explicitly showing the domestic circumstances in many African countries will contradict the whole propaganda. 

In other places of the world, enormous distances of hinterland polluted by solid waste and chemicals, the same issue with polluting air with steam factories. Ethno-religious conflicts are still flaring up in many areas that have not reached final stability, even being complicated as chauvinism is rising. Moving to a South-East Asia, the situation isn't very different, the aforementioned global dilemmas, as globalization shackled people up, putting them under the same circumstances. However, the effects are multi-layered, as we find how certain societies react to globalization differ from other communities; some cultures are negatively affected. In contrast, others turned the compass of globalization in its favor. 

In South-East Asia, what caught my attention is the increasing population rate accompanied by the migration dilemma. Migrants from the poorer Asian countries or the so-called ASEA organization zone, like Myanmar, Cambodia, Philippines, Indonesia to Thailand, and primarily illegal have no status in the host country. As I was in Bangkok attending an exchange semester at the beginning of 2020 at Chulalongkorn University, I attended courses that presented the main issues there. I also had the opportunity to conduct exploratory field trips in cooperation with an NGO that helps rehabilitate migrants in Thailand. The instructor showed the harsh circumstances those migrants are living under and how they help them seek integration or legal protection. He claimed the Thai legal system doesn't pay much attention to the illegal migrants who become prey for labor and sexual exploitation, which is rampant as they don't have financial sources in the host country. I observed heart-wrenching human rights abuses within the migrant community there. This example in Thailand is a complementary example to countless examples of the violation that migrants and refugees exposed to, Latino migrants, at the USA-Mexican borders are a clear example that occupied the journalistic headlines during 2021.

Therefore, my new professional journey with a German NGO working for refugees in Germany came to answer any inquiries I had directed, granting me the chance to directly face-to-face deal with refugees and listen to their stories. So global migration movement never ended as long as there are wars, conflicts, weapons merchants and manufacturers who sell into the inflicted areas, capitalist fierce devour on the environment that turns the green into stones. There will always be migrants, ex-pats, diaspora, and whatever relevant manifestations with high living costs.

It's a concise summary of 2021, in which I don't want to conceal the bright side despite the global community shackled up. There are always aspects that stand up for the truth fighting against the dilemmas mentioned earlier; I observed many outstanding initiatives for developments projects and took advantage of technology to facilitate the developmental process. This side revives the hope for a better future despite the insurmountable challenges.

I also emphasize that the population of the current generation should invest much effort in educating their children, and the professionals in different fields should drive their trainees towards maintaining the environment. Because it's an invaluable asset we own on this planet; if lost, restoring it might be impossible as there is no way to retrieve endangered species if the last one is lost! Education and knowledge are power, so let's shape them in the right way and use it on the right path for a better and prosperous future away from the destructive arms race. Let's hope that 2022 will be the year of radical change in all walks of life. Because our planet is a fascinating planet worth struggling for, our next generations also deserve to have a dignified life and enjoy its graces and benefits as we have enjoyed and the same as the last generation.

Let's build a prosperous future for the next generations! 

Happy New Year 2022!