20(21) questions

As is no secret, the question mark is the Intramuralist’s favorite punctuation piece. Why? It’s the only grammar notation that actually solicits a response. As we dive into the new year, therefore, my mind is swirling. Change your questions — change your life (as the apt-named, brilliant book by Dr. Marilee Adams says; this is the way I think).

Here are 20 questions (well, maybe a little more) that I’m asking as we turn our time and attention to 2021:

  1. What will a peaceful transition of power look like this year?
  2. Why do we only claim fraudulence when we lose?
  3. Will a fairly evenly-divided House and Senate govern like a fairly evenly-divided House and Senate?
  4. How will each party handle their radicals?
  5. Will each party admit they have radicals?
  6. What will a Pres. Biden be most known for?
  7. What will a former Pres. Trump do?
  8. Will Trump still tweet?
  9. How will the vaccine card be used and misused?
  10. How has isolation changed us?
  11. When will life be normal?
  12. What will never be normal?
  13. Will we hug?
  14. Will we still wear (at least physical) masks?
  15. What about the new strain of Covid?
  16. Will the Bills finally win the Super Bowl?
  17. When will fans fill stadiums?
  18. Will baseball fans ever return?
  19. Will age ever catch up to Tom Brady?
  20. How hard will the pandemic impact our debt and deficit spending?
  21. Will we address our ever-increasing national debt?
  22. Will Congress pass a budget before the fiscal year for the first time since 1996?
  23. How will the bias of the 24 hour news stations change with Pres. Trump no longer in the White House?
  24. Will they still talk about him?
  25. Who will emerge as 2024 presidential frontrunners?
  26. What will history give credit to the Trump administration for?
  27. What will history blame the Trump administration for?
  28. What will be the division of labor between a Pres. Biden and Vice Pres. Harris?
  29. What do vice presidents actually do?
  30. What do “normalized relations” mean with respect to China?
  31. Will we change how we deal with countries who continue to oppress their people or resist democracy and freedom of religion?
  32. What will happen at the border?
  33. Will there still exist such a thing as “illegal immigration”?
  34. How can we make progress in a way that cares for the refugee but is still wise and safe for all?
  35. What progress will be made in helping our friends who are persons of color feel safer and equally valued?
  36. What can we do and what should we not?
  37. Where do we need to listen more to a different perspective?
  38. Will college football expand their playoff system so other formidable teams could be seriously considered?
  39. Can Facebook last?
  40. Will people continue to mistake likes, comments and tweets as dialogue?
  41. Will government get more involved in regulating social media?
  42. Will government get more involved in regulating religion?
  43. How much respect as a nation will we continue to give God?
  44. What happens to Hollywood after the pandemic?
  45. Will movie theaters be a thing of the past?
  46. Will we continue as a country to be enamored with celebrity?
  47. How will the film, farming, food production, energy, oil, phone and television industries change?
  48. Will there still be a printed newspaper?
  49. What happens to cancel culture?
  50. Will we recognize that cancelation is the opposite of grace — even when it’s not so amazing?
  51. What will happen in regard to how we acknowledge gender and sex?
  52. What are we encouraging that’s healthy and that’s not?
  53. Will gender-specific pronouns be prohibited?
  54. What will we protest in the year ahead?
  55. Will it be peaceful?
  56. What will the long term effects of Twitter usage be on the younger generations?
  57. What will they do better than prior generations?
  58. What will they do worse?
  59. Will we as a country value both our youth and elderly more?
  60. Will Joe Biden be a healer or a divider?
  61. What does it take to be a healer?
  62. Will we still fight?
  63. How can I be part of the solution?
  64. Does being a part of the solution equate to everyone thinking more like me?
  65. Or do I recognize that I, too, will always have much to learn?

… and thus, we’ll keep asking questions…

Respectfully…

AR