Uncertainty is the refuge of hope.
Henri-Frédéric Amiel
Dear 9 Magazine readers,
This year was a mess. There is no better way to describe it. A big, unprecedented mess. When we started our global news project @9aroundtheworld, I had no idea that we would have to cover SO MUCH in 11 months (still a month left–what awaits us?) And out of everything, the most surprising: a global pandemic that would put all life at halt.
Of course, I was always aware that the future was uncertain. I think we all were. But most of us hadn’t yet gone through an experience that shows this to us. We were caught off guard. We made predictions–more like assumptions–about what our year would look like. About what these years would look like. But we were proved wrong.
Now a senior in high school, I had plenty of assumptions for this year, some even that I wasn’t necessarily looking forward to. Spending time with my friends, going to school maskless, going to school, cafe-hopping, waking up too early, counting down how many exams we have left until… graduation. I never doubted any of these. But here we are. Zoom High School! With restrictions to go out. (for my age group, we can only go out from 1 pm to 4 pm)
Often, we find ourselves imagining possibilities, dreaming about the future. The future will be what you make of the cards you are dealt. Unfortunately, the cards aren’t flipped yet.
The truth is, nothing is really certain, especially the future. This is a frustrating conclusion that can lead to two things: hope and motivation, or fear and frustration. You choose your path.
We’re living a once-in-a-century event in important years of our lives. We picked the theme (un)certain for this issue to explore future possibilities but also to voice our frustrations. We used parantheses to indicate that the only certain thing is the state of uncertainty. What do we plan on publishing this issue? Well, that’s mostly uncertain for now (pun intended), but you can help us gain some clarity by filling out this form to contribute to our winter issue.
Time will tell the future. Even though things are uncertain, let’s continue hoping for, and working towards the better.