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