Hope And Change - Kristján Hrannar, musician

Kristján Hrannar, musician

The year that just passed was insane for both me and my family. My battle with alcoholism and (at the time unbeknownst to me) co-dependency continued. I went into rehab in February, only to relapse in April. I was subsequently admitted to a closed psychiatric ward after a suicide attempt. My parents kicked me out, putting my pregnant wife in a very unexpected and terrifying situation.

It wasn’t until June, when I started simultaneously battling my alcoholism and co-dependency, that I made some recovery. My wife didn’t leave me, although the relationship was hanging on a thread. I am so lucky to be a family man today. The life I have now is better than I ever dared hope for. So yes, 2014 was quite eventful!

For the future: As a society, I think we’re heading towards more transparency in the political field. It’s easy to be pessimistic and go on about how populist movements are getting more shameless and power-hungry. But I think it’s due to the fact that the internet and the new media aren’t letting them get away with as much bullshit as they used to. Bad decisions, ignorant politicians and blatant corruption are now more visible than ever—but I sincerely hope that’s not because there’s more of it going around. The media’s responsibility has never been so vital in shaping the social discussion, and this will remain true throughout 2015.