Bill Gates, Microsoft founder and co-chair of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, has said in his personal reflections that he will look back on 2021 as the most difficult year of his life.
In a very frank year-in-review post which can be seen in his personal GatesNotes blog, the magnate revealed that his divorce from wife, Melinda, and the lack of social interaction due to Covid restrictions affected him personally.
Bill and Melinda Gates’ 27-year marriage officially ended in August after announcing back in May that they would separate.
Gates wrote: “I know a lot of people are curious about a subject closer to home: my divorce” and went on to add that he and his former wife had found a “good new working rhythm” since their separation.
The divorced couple continue to run their charity foundation together, but nevertheless Gates admitted that this year had proven to be one “of great personal sadness.”
On Covid restrictions, Gates said that often going many days without any human interaction was a “strange and disorientating experience” and his “personal world” had “never felt smaller”.
Gates said: “I had stretches of time without any face-to-face social interaction. If I had a break between meetings, I'd walk around my yard just to see something different.”
The businessman went on to say that the major events of 2021 proved that the world was “more connected than ever” before, referencing the withdrawal of western troops from Afghanistan, extreme weather events and the ongoing impact of Covid.
“Every time you looked at the news, you were reminded of just how significantly something happening on the other side of the world could affect you at home. Just look at how one container ship stuck in the Suez Canal for a week caused shipping delays around the world. It’s never been clearer that tackling big problems requires people working together across borders and sectors,” Gates wrote.
Having reflected on 2021, the Microsoft founder went on to talk about what the New Year may bring. He cautiously predicted that the acute phase of the pandemic would come to its end in the coming year; expressed concern over the eroding trust of the public in institutions; highlighted how the climate conversation can teach us about progress; and addressed how the acceleration of the digital revolution over the last two years will be critical in shaping the future of humankind.
The full blog may be read here.
Photo taken from Wikimedia Commons
