If I had to describe 2024 with a single feeling, it would be that of a deep, collective sigh. A year in which the earth, societies, and certainties seemed to crack under immense pressure. It was a period where the shadow of hatred, division, and uncertainty stretched longer than ever, but where, against all odds, we also learned to distinguish more clearly the small glimmers of humanity that insist on shining through. Today, as I reflect on it, I am filled with a bittersweet feeling, laden with worry, but also with tenacious hope.
The Cracks: A World Cracking Under the Weight
This year, my heart has been saddened to witness firsthand the trends that have defined our era. We have seen how political polarization not only divided countries but poisoned dialogue to its very roots. It reflects a fractured world where extreme narratives gain ground.
This division was not a distant spectacle; it became tangible violence. The conflict in the Middle East intensified in a heartbreaking way, spreading from Gaza to Lebanon. It was the year of the first direct attacks between Israel and Iran, of assassinated leaders, and of a humanitarian crisis in Gaza that has left a trail of pain impossible to quantify. The unexpected fall of Bashar al-Assad's regime in Syria, after years of civil war, closed the year with another geopolitical earthquake.
Nature itself, perhaps weary, sent us its own warning signals. The planet experienced its warmest year on record, and the price was paid in the form of tragedies such as the deadly storm in Valencia, which, with biblical rains, claimed the lives of more than 230 people in Spain, or the devastating fires in Chile and the floods in Brazil. Each event, a reminder of our vulnerability and the urgency that we still ignore.
And amidst all this, technological uncertainty continued to grow. Artificial intelligence continued its controversial and accelerated development, challenging our ethics and our place in the world, while events like the failure of Boeing's Starliner mission, which left astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore stranded in space, reminded us that even our boldest dreams are fraught with unforeseen risks.
Glimmers of Hope: The Light that Shines Through the Cracks
However, precisely because the darkness was so dense, the glimmers of light became unmistakable and precious. 2024 was also the year in which, amidst the mud, we built small bridges.
Science and international cooperation continued their course, sometimes stumbling, but without stopping. Despite the setbacks, the extended stay of astronauts on the International Space Station is a testament to our determination to remain in the cosmos. Every problem solved up there is a lesson in resilience for all of us down here.
And in the depths of tragedy, the best of the human spirit emerged, as always: neighbors rescuing neighbors from the floodwaters in Valencia, citizens helping each other in the midst of crisis, and a global community that, although divided, never stopped debating, pushing for peace, and seeking solutions to crises like the one in Gaza.
Final Reflection: Inhabiting the Cracks with Hope
So, what does this heartbreaking 2024 leave us with? I am left with the image of the crack. Yes, it is a sign of rupture and danger. But it is also where the water seeps through, which, with patience, breaks even the hardest rock. It is where, against all logic, the most tenacious seeds grow.
This year we learned that systems can collapse (in Syria, in South Korean politics), that the weather can be relentless, and that hatred easily finds a platform. But we also reaffirmed that the courage of one woman can make history in a nation, that silent diplomacy can save lives, and that our curiosity about space is stronger than the fear of failure. 2024 offered us no easy solutions. It showed us, starkly, the work that lies ahead: healing divisions, listening to the planet, guiding our technology with wisdom, and, above all, choosing compassion over contempt, again and again.
As we say goodbye to this year, I choose not to focus solely on the abyss that opens beneath our cracks. I choose to focus on the faint but persistent light that is already emerging from within them. For it is in the crack, not in the solid wall, that change always begins.
