How FIFA managed to perfectly embody 2022
11 January 2023 at 10:29 am
In today’s instalment of our #resolutions23 series, Pro Bono columnist Nevena Spirovska looks back on 2022, and ahead to 2023.
The persistent and ongoing consequences of the global pandemic, an economic recession, massive shifts in climate, data leaks and cybercrime, as well as growing social unrest all contributed to 2022 being characterised by dramatic change.
Theoretically, I know that change and growth are inevitable in our lives, and we should embrace them as necessary for our development into more rounded people and for achieving some measure of personal contentment. In order to progress, we ought to be receptive to challenges, novel experiences, and difficult points of view. This is something that can be understood on a personal as well as a societal level, and it may help us move forward with a greater understanding and acceptance of one another.
However, this past year felt like an entirely new proposition; we had to find a way to adapt to the ever-increasing cost of living, placing even more downward pressure on people, families, and households, as well as coming to some level of acceptance that dramatic seasonal change – the likes of which we’ve never seen before – will now be a part of our lives. All of this transpired against the backdrop of significant social and political shifts, including a new federal government and monarch, successive challenging state elections, and the emergence of fringe extremist movements, which exposed the country’s profoundly splintered state. This does not even begin to address all of the personal challenges that those of us who have experienced the profound loss of loved ones, our livelihoods, or a dissolving sense of self after many days in lockdown have faced.
Despite the fact that I enjoy being challenged and am (mostly) open to new experiences, I found it difficult at times to cope with the constant and ongoing stress. Especially since the usual go-tos were difficult at best. Travelling internationally? A massively costly minefield of complications. Large social gatherings? To the backdrop of COVID, it was difficult to organise. Looking forward to the summer? It’s almost like an extended remix of winter complete with beanies and heating on in mid-December.
This is why I, along with many other millennials, have resorted to more advanced methods of dealing with life’s constant upheavals, like consulting an artificial intelligence (AI) bot for life advice. If more people find solace in these bots, it could be disastrous for the self-help industry. Despite the fact that the guidance I was given was rather rudimentary, there are some points to bear in mind that are worth repeating; “Take action by focusing on what you can control”, “Develop strategies to manage the impact of change on yourself and others around you”, “Embrace learning new skills or knowledge” etc.
The bot also offered instructions on how to unwind and relax after a particularly trying period in one’s life. It spewed up sentences about how relaxing gives you time to think about what’s been going on and provides some perspective, which in turn enables you to make better decisions moving forward. In addition to this, it can provide your body with the opportunity to heal from any emotional or physical strain that may have been brought on by stress. It was a strangely calming experience to have automatically generated zen at my disposal.
Putting aside the guidance from AI, the chaotic year has reoriented me towards simplicity. The satisfaction of seeing your tomatoes flourish despite the constant downpour, the pleasure of hearing an overseas friend laugh at a joke you’ve been recycling for months, and the euphoria of seeing 12,000 of your closest friends at the best music festival in the country, returning after its 1000+ day hiatus.
Change and growth are inevitable. Focus on what you can control, says OPEN AI. I can’t control the weather. I can’t control a virus. I can’t even control myself enough to not hand over all of my precious private data to an invisible cyber criminal in times of desperation. But I can take hold of the way I am changing. And I can observe the way those around me are growing.
And I can look back on the year and choose to remember it as the year that FIFA president Gianni Infantino went on a bizarre 57-minute diatribe that somehow seemed to perfectly embody 2022.
