2016 has been a unique banner year for mankind, and in true spirit, 'year in review' videos are starting to pop up across the web. They show the predictable happy and joyous moments our species has experienced throughout the last revolution around our star. They also usually fail to showcase the tragedies, which in hindsight, are the true events that make us who we are as humans. How we respond. How we 'deal.'

The most notable in 2016 might be Harambe. What started out as a truly heartfelt drive to honor a beloved beast ended up consuming most of the web. Punchlines were a plenty, and everyone eventually grew sick and tired of it.

Also on the top tier in 2016, a truly unique election cycle. A hard fought and truly grotesque couple of campaigns that ended up seeing the non-political candidate being elected. Some called it polarizing. Many cried and many rejoiced. It was a stark depiction of how deep the riff is between Americans, and to show how fed up we are with the elites in Washington, we hired an elite from New York.

Isis also played a big role in the year 2016. So many attacks and tragedies that saw, not only the worst, but the best in mankind as a result. Those who stepped in to make a difference. Those who helped. Those who were inspired to dare to do better. Such as the case in Texas after the Dallas shooting. Almost 500 PD applications were received in the twelve days following that madness.

While it's too easy to focus on the positive, we must be mindful of the negative. Mainly because without one, you can't have the other. The negative is what allows something else to be positive. The yin and yang. The light and dark. Tragedy and comedy. It's a bittersweet cycle, but such is life.

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