The best of 2016 and what to expect in 2017- Nico Rosberg driving in 2016 - Copyright: Cristiano Barni / Shutterstock.com. Tesla charging stations - Copyright: Jag_cz / Shutterstock.com. Serena Williams in action in 2016 - Copyright:Leonard Zhukovsky / Shutterstock.com.
A year in review - an OriginalSteps.com feature
One can safely deduce that people from here to Mars have something to say about the outgoing year 2016 - mostly bad things unfortunately. However such a bleak outlook is quite inconsiderate considering people, and actual human-beings where conceived and born within this year! These individuals might even end up becoming the next generation of superhero's the world has longed for.
However right now it feels like the world could use some superhuman strength to power through to 2017.
From where do we kick off?
Sport – yes, sport is always a nice and refreshing way to look at a year.
We discovered that Serena Williams is actually mortal and can be beaten, but is still the toughest competitor around. Another expected winner, Lewis Hamilton lost the title but to a deserving a team-mate in the Formula 1 season. Michael Phelps stole the show at the Olympics in Brazil as he glared evil eyes at South African swimmers whilst clinching titles in a much-revered athletic display. Tiger Woods is looking to drive a huge comeback year in 2017 and seems to have warmed up for it late in 2016.
The NBA Playoffs saw Cleveland Cavaliers' LeBron James go head-to-head with Golden State Warriors' Stephen Curry as the Cavaliers took the honours 4 to 3. In the UK, Leicester City surprised England's football Premier League by winning the league in true underdog fashion. And whilst on the topic of England, have you seen their rugby team of late? Fireworks! - coached by Eddie Jones of course.
As sport gave the world a form of escape and hope for many, the world of politics sadly stole the spotlight of the world's stage in 2016. Political leaders from around the world did little to inspire a generation of future leaders. Instead they headlined the media in wayward manners that stirred (at times) drastic political change.
So let's go back to escaping reality...
Showmanship provided by of one Nico Rosberg who became the Formula One World Champion and retired five days later, allowed the world to pause just for a moment and smile. It was a short smile as the sadness of the loss of members of the Chapecoense football team in a fatal plane crash highlighted a fresh reminder that sportspeople face the same dangers and trauma that we all do in reality.
Nico Rosberg driving during his winning 2016 season. © 2016 Daimler AG
2016 saw financial markets concerned about political movements which generated some fancy trading on Wall Street. The Dollar surprisingly remained stable throughout despite the uncertainty. Whilst the Panama Papers made for odd reading. In a post Obama world - the next few years look interesting for major pundits worldwide. As Elon Musk energized the world with battery power, Nintendo just couldn’t catch a break, no matter how hard they tried everyone wanted to pick on them. Compared to Nintendo it seemed that even Samsung somehow avoided a larger blaze...
Technology updates saw social media become red flagged as a space for cyberbullying and robotics become a trend of the now instead of something for the future.
Higher education saw the continual rise of student debt in the USA while South African students took a stance for free or cheaper higher education fees.
Further into the worlds´ madness, our heads spun in a spiral as 2016 saw war, terror and violence, riddle the worlds media channels and platforms en-masse. Almost becoming daily news per say.
And when the planet needed further escape...
J. K. Rowling obliged and released some new adventures from within the Harry Potter universe. A much needed escape - accepted! Cake by the Ocean somehow became the song of the northern hemisphere summer and showcased the evolution of one Jonas brother. In another category of entertainment, it was something of a surprise that 2016 didn’t quite muster much quality film production (barring perhaps the final upswing of Star Wars: Rogue One). But that was okay as Netflix, HBO and Amazon filled the gap...
Perhaps 2017 will be different - more positive we hope but 2016 is not a year to forget but to remember and to learn (some hard lessons) from. Perhaps it is the year that gave birth to a future generation of superheroes - only time will tell. In the meantime, 2017 beckons, offering a wide and open world of education, career, travel and creative business possibilities ahead.
Welcome to 2017 – and welcome to the year of Mobility....
