1. THE RECESSION LESSON: This year, we learned what is truly valuable and important in our lives. We learned what true happiness really means to us. We learned we don’t need bottled water. We learned to look at the glass as half full, not half empty. We learned how to get by on what we have. We learned that generic brands taste exactly the same, and the the designer label doesn’t mean much. We learned to cook. We learned to be thankful for what we do have. With the economy in a downward spiral during the recession we learned that we will all get through it even if it may be tough at times, and we hope that the economy makes a full recovery.
2. THE ART OF MULTITASKING: All of the technology in the world today is astounding. We have just about anything we can imagine; iPods that hold more songs than you’ll probably ever have, phones that have an app for everything, navigation systems in every car, laptops and high speed computers, HDTV and so on. From all of this technology I think one thing we definitely take away is the ability to multitask. Wether this is a good or bad thing, I’m not sure. Most of us can have the TV on, do work on a laptop, maybe listen to music or talk on the phone or text a few people. Some would argue too many distractions, but if you’re getting everything done wheres the harm? When it becomes harmful is when we have all of our gadgets running while we are driving. It’s dangerous and has become one of the biggest issues this year, and texting while driving has already become illegal in some states. I guess we will have to wait and see in 2010 whether multitasking is a positive or negative aspect to all of the technologies we depend on today.
3. THE RULE OF THE TIGER: Essentially, don’t cheat on your spouse. This year we learned that cheating on your spouse or significant other is not a good idea.Various celebrities were caught in the act, among them were Tiger Woods and David Letterman. With the amount of money that tabloids pay for a story or a photo for such a big story, it shocks me that any of them would think to cheat. There are eyes everywhere especially when you are that famous, and all it leads to is usually divorce and other issues (such as losing advertisers), and the whole world knowing the mistake you’ve made. Maybe the whole world wouldn’t know, or care, if you cheated on your spouse or significant other, but the consequences are worse than they appear in the pictures in the tabloids.
4. THE SULLY MIRACLE: A very shocking news story this year was when a plane full of passengers crashed in the Hudson River. The pilot, Chelsey Sullenberger, was named a hero. He landed the plane safely in the river and refused to leave until all of the passengers were safe. Everyone survived. This taught us that anybody can be a hero, whether you do something big like save a plane full of passengers, or something small for someone else. It also showed us a miracle, and the country was definitely in need of a lift in spirits.
