Scott shares his musings for this final briefing of 2021. MAEKAN thanks you all for your support and patronage over the course of this challenging year.

I won’t lie to you, 2021 felt like a shittier version of 2020. It was like 2020, but without the novelty of a virus we knew nothing about. More toilet paper, fewer civil liberties (hey, you win some, lose some right?). We’re now listing off variants like the Kardashians list off ex-husbands (admittedly, the Kardashians are still faster than COVID, though). As we approach my favorite holiday period, I wonder what lays ahead of us in 2022.
 

The truth is, it doesn’t really matter: we’ve seen that chaos breeds opportunity, and that “2020 + 2” can be just as much a fresh start if we want it to. One lesson I take away from my life, work, interactions is to trim the fat on everything. Between the informational and sensory overloads, we are bombarded with every day, I’ve enjoyed cutting things down massively. I only use Twitter for socials now, stick to a handful of apps and mostly focus on spending my time on work that can yield personal gain and relationships that mutually enrich. As much as I like to care for others, I’ve put a much greater emphasis on caring for my immediate circle instead. Trimming the fat also means spending way less time caring about other people’s feelings about me or things I care about. Don’t like it? No problem. Unless there is any constructive feedback, I’ve started to become immune to opinions.
 

Another clear conclusion from 2021 is that no one seems to know anything at all about anything. This is a comforting discovery, because most of life ends up as a byproduct of experimentation rather than whatever “expert knowledge” may be. We spend too much time worshiping those in power or with a presumed platform when we are able to lead our own projects instead. Don’t let someone’s degree, experience, or pedigree stop you from having your own full opinions and experiences. To quote the often irritating Peter Thiel, the most contrarian thing you can do is not to go against the grain, but rather have an opinion of your own. Strength comes from doing your own deep work.

So here’s to 2021, you won’t be missed at all. I feel like I’ve been saying that a lot in the past few years, but I remain excited about the future on many fronts. I gain strength and joy from the advent of new technologies, governance systems, and ideas to cull the rot we are working through as a planet and as a people. It takes a few brave people to get the ball rolling: 2022 might just be that year.

Wishing you all a merry Christmas and happy holidays. From our team to you all, it has been a pleasure to serve you all as always.