Resolution
The concept of the New Year is fundamentally a placebo. It's the idea of a new beginning, a fresh start that appeals to so many people, even though there's nothing inherently new or fresh about it. We're 99% the same people as we were on December 31st. For those that actually make something out of their new year resolution, I'm happy that the placebo worked for you to achieve something and better yourself; we need to learn to better embrace healthy placebos in our lives anyhow.
We all know, however, that the vast majority do not keep their resolutions, and this is simply because making a resolution based on an arbitrary frame of time won't persist because it has no relation to who we are, what we believe, what we fear, and what we hope for. It's very hard to be resolute just because it's 2023.
So what does it mean to be resolute?
when we venture to see what lurks within our shadow selves,
when we find the courage to confront what lies in the abyss,
when we've seen the perils of an uninformed and hedonistic lifestyle,
when we've been afflicted of such great suffering,
when we edge ever closer towards finding truth,
when we've been knocked to rock bottom and that the only option left
is to be determined and resolute on your way back up.
You become resolute when you've discovered your reason to live. It means that you've already made the decision to commit yourself to a cause, that you've already answered the hard questions in life—who you're going to be, why you're going to do something, and how you're going to do it. It turns out, the same word that is an antithesis to our all-too-common existential crises is the same word we use to make absurd, arbitrary, shallow goals that almost none of us commit to.
Consider two scenarios:
You already had an actual resolution prior to 2023. Why, now, that the mere year has changed, have we decided to recalibrate its path or change it entirely? Just stuck with it.
You had no actual resolutions prior to 2023. You ought to look yourself in the mirror and ask yourself, why is it time now, to finally start thinking about how I should progress as an individual and potentially answer the hard questions of life? What is it about me that caused me to postpone such vital help to myself when I most needed it? Answering those questions will reveal far more about yourself than any “new year’s resolution” you set for yourself, successful or not.
We underestimate this notion of a resolution. If there was no severe mental or emotional turmoil involved in those goals that you set, by definition those were not resolutions. Every time we make a new year's resolution, we do a disservice to the actual meaning of resolute; we downplay the amount and severity of toil and strife it took for every resolute person to become who they are. There's simply nothing resolute about it, and we should all stop pretending it is. The very concept that a resolution can be based on an arbitrary frame of time and nothing else belies the actual spirit of being resolute.
If we are so compelled to spur ourselves into action every 365 days, I will cast my first vote to instead only call it new year's goals. But if the idea of a new year, a new beginning was indeed an impetus to be resolute, to answer the hard questions in your life, let’s not put shame to it by calling it new year’s resolutions; the new year doesn’t deserve the credit for your struggle. You do.
