Year 2022

This blog post is my tenth yearly reflection. The three previous reflections can be found here: 2021, 2020, 2019.

I’m happy I continue with this yearly habit. I find it interesting to go back and look at the things I chose to highlight in each of the previous years. Those words help transport me into the mindset I had at that time. The simple words written in my reflection on 2017 “the rest is up to me” bring me back to my mental state of being motivated to take on the challenges ahead.

Here are some of the things that happened during 2022 in my life, in no particular order:

The war in Ukraine is a terrible thing and by far the most prominent thing that looms large over everything that happened in 2022. It affected me personally. At first, I couldn’t process it and responded to the war with denial. It took me a while to come to grips with the horrible reality. It also affected my work life, as I spent significant time discussing how best to respond to the war and prepare for a potential invasion of Lithuania (which seemed possible at the time).

But there are also good things happening in the world. The world is inching closer towards low-carbon energy, US and EU set new ambitious targets to reduce their carbon emissions, the Ethiopian civil war ended, there has been progress tackling cancer, and much more. I remain optimistic about the long-term future of humanity.

Off to a better 2023.