2014 was an important year for our country and for the rest of the world. Though many of its more memorable moments were a result of anger and bloodshed this was a year of incredible change.

This year may be defined by its protests, with the Ferguson racial charged protests spreading from coast to coast, the world famous Hong Kong protests that argued against Chinese control of the city, the infamous gamergate protests that rocked the video game industry and the industries that rely on it. It may well be remembered years from now as an ugly year for all of these large-scale protests, but they all pointed out and opposed real problems that the world seemed to be content with pretending they didn’t exist.  

This was also a year of fighting, with the war on terror becoming even more difficult and dangerous thanks to the drastic rise in power of ISIS. The Crimean conflict also rocked the world as European soil was once again trodden down by soldiers and tanks with Russia and the pro-Russian Crimeans fighting to separate from Ukraine, making us all a little more frightened by our old cold war enemy. The wars in Syria and Mexico still raged onward with no end in sight, making 2014 a sad and costly year for many of our brothers and sisters across the world.

       It was also a sad year for goodbyes with Robin Williams, Harold Ramis, and many many more talented people leaving us this year. Williams, the onetime Oscar winner and comic genius will be remembered for his unforgettable performances and his iconic wit and humor which will outlive us all. Harold Ramis will also be remembered fondly for his classic comedy films Ghostbusters, Groundhog Day, and Stripes, along with his creative partnership with Bill Murray which produced some of the 80’s and 90’s greatest comedies.

 It was also a year of rude awakenings with the Ferguson protests, the rise of ISIS, and the Australian café shooting making us all realize just how real some of these problems are, not just overseas, but here in the States as well. It was a real eye-opener to see just how quickly something can go out of hand and can drastically change the way we live and see the world around us.

Elder students also had their own thoughts on 2014 as a year. Elder sophomore Cory Manhema called 2014 a “year of technology” for the dramatic increase in the use of social media and the internet for communication and connection. Two of the biggest stories of the year that originated online were the famous Ice bucket challenge for ALS and the gamergate protests that protested ethics in the video game industry and in their reviews.

With all of this, the good and the bad, 2014 was an important year, and a year worth remembering. For all the bad times and all of the good ones, we are a changed people, a people who know better what the problems we will face in the years down the road will be like and, just maybe, give us a way to help solve them.