adminMs G
The year 2020 will surely be remembered in human history. Times goes by so fast and so lowly at the same time this year. Everyday we look forward to some good news but they don’t come often. Yet as we struggle to cope with the various challenges, 2021 has quietly arrived on our doorsteps.
According to the Chinese zodiac, or shengxiao, this is the year of the mouse, my zodiac animal.
Many Chinese believe one runs into bad luck whenever his/her animal year comes around. To stay safe, one must be modest and restrained. Never tempt fate. And also wearing red.
Around this time last year, I arrived in Zimbabwe for my job here. A new country, new responsibilities, and my birth sign year to come. A perfect combination to make me a little bit superstitious. Expecting unknown challenges and the absence of luck, I put myself into a red dress and a pair of red shoes on the Chinese New Year’s Day, complemented by a red handbag and red necklace, although in different shades so that I would not look like a lunatic.
Little did I know the whole world was about to join in my own bad luck. What happened afterwards is global knowledge.
The Chinese zodiac is a repeating cycle of 12 years, with each year being represented by an animal. They are the mouse, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, goat, monkey, rooster, dog, and pig.
Each animal has some characteristics that would be associated with the personality of the people born in that year. For example, a mouse is considered resourceful and versatile, ox diligent and determined, tiger confident and competitive, and rabbit kind and responsible.
These animals are chosen either for their close connection with the daily life of the ancient Chinese or for their lucky meanings.
In fact, I quite like the idea a keeping a low profile and a clear head in your zodiac year. From time to time in life, we are too absorbed in our goals and destinations that we lose focus of the really important things.
Every 12 years, you grow into a new person, with very different perspectives and perhaps under completely changed life circumstances. It is good to slow down a little bit, take stock, and remind yourself to be humble and grateful.
I believe our world should do so as well. In recent years we have seen some very extraordinary developments in human society. The desire to be faster, stronger, richer and safer has led us to some dangerous extremes. We forget we did not earn today’s life by fighting alone, but rather by working together. We become self-conceited and less respectful for each other and our mother nature.
The year of the mouse marks the beginning of a new cycle in the Chinese Zodiac. Covid-19 has upended a lot of our old ways of doing things. It has also brought into sharp relief some timeless truths. According to the Chinese creation myth, the universe was born from chaos. Perhaps the destruction left behind by the pandemic is the universe’ s way of allowing us to start anew.
Online Reporter