Jan 1, 2010

Aah -- the smell of a new year. During our childhood/ teenage years, a new year brings lots of new aspirations, hope, joy and excitement.

As we grow older, we cease making resolutions for we are afraid of breaking them. From our past experiences we have learnt that not many resolutions will make it past the first few weeks or months of the new year. And then life's routine will catch up with us wanting to do the best that we are capable of doing. However, I feel it is important to make resolutions.

Resolutions signify our inner intentions or at least what we know to be right but are incapable of doing, for whatever reasons we cite. Resolutions symbolize what we really would like to do with our lives, while sometimes they represent what we know our responsibilities ought to be but fall short of fulfilling completely. As a result, our resolutions help us be in touch with the path we know we should be walking on, but are maybe lost from. Its an attempt to do the right thing. So even if you can only follow your resolution for so long and it doesn't become a part of your lifestyle forever, you should attempt it. You should be proud of attempting to do whats right and good for you and not lament over the fact that you couldn't do it forever. Although the latter is the goal we aim to reach.

Plus we learn a lot over the year that just ended.. 2009 in this case. Resolutions are way of putting all this important knowledge to practical use. Of course you can find a lot of advise on what kind of resolutions you should make.. based on the likelihood of you following them.

I make resolutions too. I BELIEVE in them. There are some I follow longer than others, and every once in a while a resolution becomes a part of who you are, thus producing everlasting change. This year Ive decided this modest list below..

1. To speak less, listen and think more. Seems trivial. But its not. Its a calculated effort to say less, and make every word count more. All that I say should be aimed at something, instead of thoughtless words escaping from our mouths for no reason. I am not ruling out engaging in a little bit of harmless gossip every now and then... and having healthy debates and conversations to exercise my mind, but I intend to evaluate the consequences of my words before I put them out there into the universe.

2. Be self dependent and expect less from others, more from myself. Now -- this is way too broad. And most people would argue that such broad resolutions are unlikely to be kept because you cant have a clear game plan for following them... its difficult to follow such an all encompassing commandment. But the plan is this: to work towards expecting less from others, and to depend more on myself. as time passes on. This is not something I can do on Day 1.. but something I hope to start increasing day by day.

3. This one came to me just as I was writing this. I need to consider leaving behind a smaller environmental footprint. While Indians are pretty good about using natural things, living in America has brought its share of BADS in the form of over-reliance on non-organic food and other such products killing the environment. So I intend to be more conscious of the harm I am doing to the nature around me and try to minimize it.

Well, there is always the laundry list of... will not tell lies (tell as few of them as I possibly can), not hurt others (minimize this, and repent for when I end up hurting people), concentrate on working hard in my studies etc etc... :) And last but not the least, close the book on 2009 and every year before it. I need to do some writing on this to close the chapter on demons from a past life that come back to haunt me every once in a while... but until then, heres a sweet goodbye to everything that 2009 gave me and warm anticipation of everything 2010 has in store. Life is short and there is just a lot to be experienced!

A very Happy New Year to all of you.