We're a few days away from 2020, and the news for the last few years has just been a tailspin of tragic. That doesn't mean the world is all bad, though.
As we enter a new decade, we wanted to remind you of some of the year's better moments.
Reddit user SuspiciousCustomer asked:
With the decade ending, what is a positive development since 2010 that everyone should know about?
So consider this highlights reel our New Years gift to you. 2019 punched us all pretty hard in our figurative faces, and 2020 may not be any kinder if we're all honest with ourselves. So it's important to look for the good. Allow us to shed some light on some positivity for you.
Here ya go fam, have some happy thoughts!
Amazing Animal Awesomeness
GiphyRhino populations have had a 41 percent increase in this decade.
- LexusVII
After a near extinction the humpback whale population has increased to 25,000 which is pre-whaling numbers!
Polar bears are doing really well.
- rjdim
Pandas are no longer considered as endangered species
Lots of Greyhound Racing industries are on the brink of closing down. I think this is good news, of course there is a lot to pick up after and to stop them from selling those dogs to other countries for racing or other horrible stuff.
Peace Out, Polio
Polio was eradicated over this decade, the last wild strain earlier this year! This makes it the second disease eradicated by humans. Smallpox was the first.
Print It
3D Printing has saved countless lives and pushed the boundaries for new technology in the future. From personalized bone implant techniques, to the ability to print hearts from stem cells, the sheer addition to modern medicine will be greatly remembered for the overwhelming popularity and advancement of this technology.
K9 Companions
It's not big and life changing or anything but, K9 officers, who have to develop intense emotional bonds with their dogs, now get the option to immediately adopt the dog after its retired. Previously the dog was auctioned off, and the officer either had to fight and pay way too much money, or give up a member of the family.
Helpful And Happy
The world just seems a lot more accepting nowadays and less judge-mental overall. People find it easier to come out as gay or bi or trans. Hobbies aren't looked down on. Having a hobby nowadays is cooler than whatever the hobby itself may be, because the world likes seeing uniqueness and differences.
There will always be that vocal minority, especially with the Internet making it easier to project their voices but day to day life just seems so much more positive than when I was growing up.
Bullying isn't cool anymore. Helping others is.
A Triumph Of Good
I think gay marriage and families with same sex parents here in the US is a triumph of good. I was brought up in the 70s and we had family friends, a couple, named Bob and Robert. They loved each other very much and my family just treated them like every other couple, which was with kindness. I remember my mom saying to me when I was a child how much they cared for our family and how sad it was that they couldn't have their own children.
These days they could raise kids. They would have made great parents! They passed away during the AIDS epidemic and never got to see that at least a good part of the US population saw them as equals. Back then nobody had to apologize for being anti gay. Still plenty of people now who don't feel the need. But the bar had shifted dramatically. That is a good thing, and it mostly happened in the last decade.
Thanks Obama
GiphyObama leaving office. Trump getting into office.
I like this one! It certainly has wakened us up to the threat of executive corruption. Hopefully Trump's legacy will be that we strengthen the systems and never again have a traitor crook like him in office again.
I think it could also renew the Republican Party so that they need to rely less on voter suppression and disinformation to win elections, which HAS to be good for our democracy.
The Youth Lead
More younger people are in office in the US now than there were at the beginning of the decade. Regardless of political persuasion, I see that as a good thing because young people are the ones who will have to live in the world long after the older generations die out.
Falling For Foreskin
Circumcision is falling in the US, and more people are becoming aware of how immoral it is.
- Tyler630
The fight against Male Genital Mutilation is finally getting some attention. Lot of push back from... anti-male interest groups, but people are starting to wake up to the fact that cutting anything off of a baby for cosmetic or religious reasons is barbaric.
We can stop both FGM and MGM in the US if we all try.
Extreme Poverty
Between 2010-2020, extreme poverty has dropped between 1/3 and 1/2, and less than 10% of the world lives on less than US$1.90/day, a number than was as high as 40% as late as 1981. Extreme poverty will likely be a thing of the past in the next few decades.
Curious to hear from strangers online who never saw themselves in their current positions in life, Redditor graces-taylor12 asked:
"What about becoming an adult caught you completely off guard?"
The following Redditors were not ready to process the inevitable when it came to their parents.
A Role Reversal
"Watching your parents becoming old and frail."
– Mrbusybaconandeggs
"Dealing with this yesterday and it is an eye-opener. Its hard seeing someone you’ve known as a pillar of strength for 30+ years in a position of such weakness, and knowing that he might improve but generally the decline is coming."
– Rook1872
Age-Defying
"I've had a weird atypical experience. My dad was pretty old when I was born and always had a bad knee he could never afford to get fixed. He could barely walk and has never been able to run since I could remember. It got so bad that he couldn't even walk up or down the stairs in our house."
"Well he eventually got a knee replacement and he's now more agile at 73 than he was at 53. It's weird to see."
– Downtown_Skill
Sad Epiphany
"I'll never forget when I first realized how frail they actually were. I went over to their house to help out with some chores, and they couldn't even clean out any of the pens by themselves. They ended up selling most of their animals that year because they couldn't look after them."
– thecanadiancowboy
Life Can Be Cruel
"It’s slowly beginning with my parents, small hints here and there, they’re in their mid 50s.The big freak out for me has been watching my grandparents slowly declining over the last 3ish years. One set of grandparents have been gone since I was a kid, so these two are all I’ve got now. My Pap’s arthritis and sciatica is to the point now where it’s a process for him just to stand up. 2020 I saved him from a fall, if I wasn’t there to catch him, he would’ve easily been in the hospital for quite a while. That was the first 'Oh sh*t, he’s not immortal' moment."
– NoinePiecesOfVinyl
These Redditors discovered older doesn't always mean wiser.
Wake-Up Call
"I can do whatever the f'k I want. But I don't really want to do anything..."
– IcarusWax
"Yup, the idea of doing whatever you want as an adult was the biggest scam cartoons sold us."
"Yeah, you can do anything you want but you're gonna need money. So you get a job, there goes most of your day to your job."
"So now you have money but that'll go to bills first and by the time you can do what you want you don't have the energy or funds. Then the loop continues.."
– JimmyJackJericho
Fake It Til You Make It
"How clueless other adults are. I really thought adults had their sh*t in order while in reality most people are winging it."
–= xepci0
"Maturity is a skill. Some people learn it quickly. Others never do."
"Children are limited by their youth. Their brains aren't fully developed. But adults are not guaranteed to get more mature without working for it."
"Some people never grow up. They just get old."
– snapwillow
Being Independent
"I'm surprised by the amount of people who genuinely couldn't live by themselves if they had to. They somehow never learned basic life skills like simple cooking or cleaning and always had someone else to do it for them."
– CliffExcellent123
People became more aware of time.
Not Enough Me Time
"How little free time you have. You have to work, you have to prepare for work, drive to work, drive home from work. You also have to do household chores. You have to take care of kids if you have some. When do I get to enjoy my hobbies?"
– lllSnowmanlll
Point Of Exhaustion
"Most of the time I'm so tired from the day, I just don't have the mental capacity to do anything but go right to bed and watch tv ;_;"
– WitherWithout
Never Going Back
"Transitioning from college student + part time worker to full time worker I gained a bunch of time back. I was shocked that I could just decide to do laundry tomorrow if I didn't feel like it. Every evening I had this huge chunk of time that was just open."
"But then, moving from an apartment to a house, now there's a bunch more chores to do. Then introducing kids, now there's all that. But still, I wouldn't go back to the hectic college life."
– civilwarcorpses
Marking Time
"How it just goes on endlessly."
"When you're a kid, there's a summer break every year, and a new school to go to in a couple of years. Whatever part of your life you are in is clearly delimited and there is something new to look forward to after it."
"Once you're an adult, it's just 5 days of work and 2 days of weekend over and over and over until you die."
– Suitable_Mistake2208
After having a decent, long run in the entertainment business as a dancer, I've long held the belief I was invincible.
I was physically stronger, more agile, and foolish enough to think I could perpetually live in such a state.
All of a sudden, reality smacked me in the face one morning when I woke up and heard and felt various parts of my body crackle and pop like when milk hits a bowl of Rice Krispies.
My tired body had the audacity to inform me:
"Not today and from this day forward."
We're currently not on speaking terms.
Redditor AdRealistic03 wanted to discuss the shocking things we've all learned about our armed forces, so they asked:
"What are some NSFW secrets about the military?"
The military is littered with secrets, and I love secrets. Tell me more...
Hey Girl
Fight Dance GIF by tv2norgeGiphy"Been in for a long while now, the most apt descriptor I've heard:"
"'Gayest bunch of straight dudes you'll ever meet.'"
Tak_Jaehon
Baby Guards
"Our Air Force’s most critical asset, nuclear weapons, are primarily guarded by a bunch of really bored teenagers."
it_helper
"Navy is the same. The guy that Naruto runs to the galley is the same one that stands watch over the nuclear reactor."
satanyourdarklord
"Lowest ranks pull guard duties more often."
"Who's the lowest rank? That baby faced 18 year old who just joined up."
"Guard duties are up there as one of the most bone taskings going."
Daewoo40
The Side Hustle
"Sometimes the guy that administers the drug test is the same one that you get the drugs from."
Lazy-Plum-19
"I was our unit's drug test guy. I smoked weed every day because I obviously would not drug test myself. I was also really good at it so they wouldn't give the job to someone else. I could get our tests done and completed without mistakes in like 1/5 of the time of my predecessor. Didn't sell drugs, but I've given plenty away."
Changnesia_survivor
Oh My
"Swingers exist on every single base in the world, in Sigonella, they would use different boxes of detergent in the windows to show what they were into and what age range they were looking for. Patrolling the housing area became much more interesting when you see who lives in the houses and what they’re into."
catfartzz
Multi-Purpose
Hungry Labor Day GIF by BounceGiphy"The food boxes that come in literally say 'For prison and military use only.'"
BlackLotus8888
"My husband was watching a documentary with people in prison and was like hey we have the same blankets on the ship."
PricklyPix
No matter who eats it, it's been said nobody thinks any of that food tastes good.
How many?
Oh My Reaction GIF by Saturday Night LiveGiphy"I was selected 6 times in a row to be a urinalysis checker. Have seen over 2000 penises involuntarily."
Jarhead-Coffee
Bad Intentions
"The number of people who get sick and tired of being in the service who will go out and do some drug or another to get kicked out. During our Iraq/Afghanistan years, you wouldn't believe how many people would purposely pee hot or, females would intentionally get pregnant to get out of going."
Blackhawk-388
Not Sexy
"A friend of mine in the special forces told me since they are out in the field a lot, they get plenty of ticks. And while you can inspect yourself fairly well, you can’t inspect everything, so they pair up and spread their cheeks, and your mate has to stare into your anus to check you for ticks in there. Not very glamorous."
Litenpes
Health Issues
Okaay What GIF by ABC NetworkGiphy"Looooooottttts of chlamydia."
Triatomine
"My unit in Okinawa had the highest STD rate for the island. I was so glad I wasn't a part of any of that."
FightingNymph
Trashed
"Our oceans are loaded with garbage. LOADED."
"I would watch the long trail of garbage follow my ship, in the wake, as crew dumped the s**t off the fantail. Every single day. Miles and miles of trash. And this was just one ship. This was just one nation. Our oceans are full of garbage that will take centuries to erode. Our waters are littered with sh*t that fish are eating and dying on."
eyehate
Sounds like there is A LOT of fraternization in our Armed services.
Be careful out there.