2020 is a new decade and no one knows what it will bring

Life is often remembered in decades. Whether it’s politics, movies, fashion, sports, pop culture or music, it’s the decade that encompasses the description.

With this first day of the year also marking the first day of a new decade, we at La Vida Latina decided to hit the streets and ask people what this new decade means to them.

“It’s hard to look at a new decade with a lot of hope right now,” said Marcus Jones, 33, Greenwood Village. “I mean we aren’t exactly kicking things off on a high note.”

An impeached president, global warming that seems unlikely to change, continued unrest in multiple countries - from the United Kingdom and Hong Kong to Haiti and Venezuela - were just a few of the reasons Jones cited for his lack of optimism heading into 2020.

“It’s not that I want to put a damper on anything,” he added. “But right now, I mean, it’s hard to look at things with any real optimism.”

Indeed, the not-so-roaring 20s could be one of the darkest decades in the history of the United States, but, it could also be one of the brightest.

“I think when you look at how much innovation we saw in the 2010s, it’s hard not to imagine what this next decade will bring,” said Anastasia Cortez, 18, Denver. “I know I ‘haven’t really lived’ or whatever, but self-driving cars, VR (virtual reality), simultaneous language translation, are all things that are still in the beginning stages of development.”

Cortez added that what she is most excited about is continued space exploration.

“With ULA (Colorado-based United Launch Alliance) and SpaceX, I think we’ll have people traveling to the moon before this decade ends and I really, really hope we can get an astronaut to Mars,” she said gleefully. “I mean, it’s going to happen, you just know it is.”

While Cortez has her eyes on the sky and Jones has his on the ground, there are those who simply do not know what to expect.

“It’s hard to conceptualize,” said Mark Pearce, 40, Aurora. “I mean 20 years ago when I was in college, no one had an iPhone, no one had a Facebook account, and I still read a newspaper every morning to stay informed. If you would have told me then that in the palm of my hand I would be able to read the news, watch live sports and send emails, I would have struggled imagining what that would look like.”

He added that in the past decade innovation seems to have taken leaps and bounds as well.

“And now in the past 10 years I can hail a ride in Mexico City on my phone, tell my TV to turn on a soccer match in the UK and close my garage door before takeoff,” he added.

Indeed innovation seems to be the bright spot for those looking forward for to the next decade, but there are those who have a more somber look on the next decade.

“The whole world seems divided right now and that division is growing,” said Grace Montes, 51, Aurora. “I talk to a lot of people for work from around the world and everyone seems to be going through similar issues. The people in power aren’t getting things done and the public is getting restless. I think I’m a positive person and I like to view things with optimism, but it’s hard to find optimism in such dark times.”

For Montes there is no one thing that will bring about unity in the next decade.

“People just need to learn to accept their differences and stop being at each other’s throats about it all,” she said. “We can live together and think differently, that is what peace is all about.”