After much waiting, 2020 is finally drawing to an end. This year has been chocked-full of terrors that people once believed could only live in the future. There is no need to list them, we know what they are, but we should acknowledge what these things have taught us. 

This time last year the big thing was “2020 Vision”. We thought the new year was going to be a beautiful landscape of all we had “accomplished” in the decade before. While we did progress dramatically in the 2010s, our “2020 Vision” made us see the world exactly as it was. Before the new year people were seeing what they wanted to see, but as our sight was improved there was no denying the flaws our world had covered. 

As we go into 2021, I propose we seek to see better than perfect; have “2021 Vision.” I propose that we see the world through the eyes of a child. 

If you have ever talked to a child, you know that they speak honestly and innocently. If you ask them to tell you what they see, they will. They might say the moon is a ball of cheese which cows graze upon, the ocean is a melted popsicle that sat too long in the sun, or their house is a castle and their yard a kingdom that they rule benevolently. A bird is a dragon, a dog is a horse, and stars are lightning bugs that got stuck in the glue in the sky. 

While these things may not necessarily be true to us, it is true to them. You must understand, children have Superman’s sight. They see right through everything. They see the deepest desires of a person’s heart. They see the world as it is and as what it has the potential to be. 

 They know that the ocean is just water and that houses aren’t really castles, but they believe the world is sweet and that they can be kings or queens. The more they believe these things, the more they come true. Seeing the world as a child does takes flaws and automatically makes them better. Smudges may not go away immediately, but overtime the polish of childhood clears away dirt and grime to present a jewel that was lying beneath the surface. 

Many of us have left our childhood behind us. Responsibility has grappled our senses and taken the comfort out of life. This unfortunate transition into adulthood may leave you wondering how to see optimistically. The answer is quite simple: let your imagination take hold of your heart and mind and soon it will become your reality. 

Every advancement ever made came about because someone sat down and let their imagination take over. Space travel, FaceTime, and Artificial Intelligence are all examples of things that were born out of imagination. These things can be found in TV shows and movies predating their existence; to our grandparents these were childhood fancies, yet to us they are reality. 

Life will never be perfect. People will never be perfect, and from here on out, nothing will ever be the same. We should stop seeing 2020 as a curse and start looking at it as a blessing. “2020 Vision” showed us our flaws. “2021 Vision” will show us how to amend them. 

We have the ability to change our reality if we change our vision.

See through the eyes of a child and you’ll see the wonders of the world through your bedroom window. See through the eyes of a child and your hardships will become the climax of your hero’s journey. See through the eyes of a child and anything becomes possible.

Through the eyes of a child, tomorrow can be lived today.