[M Panging Pao]
Generally, year-endings are festive seasons marked by various joyful occasions, and ending with parties and picnics to usher in another new year. Most people head back to their respective hometowns/villages to celebrate New Year events with family members, friends and loved ones. Several people plan new resolutions to be executed in the upcoming New Year.
Most people revisit the past year and realise that there were mistakes made and missed opportunities which could be corrected. Many others realise that life could be lived and navigated better than last year. Some others feel that, due to the fast pace of events during the past year, their own body, health, and family time were neglected. Having realised the mistakes over the past year, they resolve to make up on the lost opportunities in the upcoming year. They realise that during the past year, many important issues were neglected and long-term mistakes were committed. New Year resolutions are resorted to rectify these lost opportunities and set up new agendas to live life better.
Most common among the New Year resolutions are to improve fitness/start exercising (35 per cent); to lose weight (20 per cent); to spend more time with family members (15 per cent); to stop smoking (10 per cent); quit alcohol/tobacco (8 per cent); learn a new skill (5 per cent); live life to the fullest (5 per cent), etc.
While some people chose multiple New Year resolutions, there are many who do not have any New Year resolutions and continue with their lives as earlier. Generally, these groups of commoners are so busy, content and happy with their lives that they carry on with the same lifestyle.
Most New Year resolutions are taken by individual citizens who want to rectify past mistakes and live life better in the upcoming year. However, should there be New Year resolutions for societies, communities, villages, and towns also? Should there be New Year resolutions for the state, the country and the world? Should our leaders also be responsible for improving the lifestyle of the common citizens in the upcoming New Year?
What could be the New Year resolutions for our state, country and leaders? Logically, the New Year resolutions could include improved bijli, sadak, paani; better hospitals, better schools, colleges and universities; better transportation and communication; more railways, more airports/flights, etc. Could New Year resolutions also include more employment/jobs, more industries, better agri-horticulture, more tourism, etc? Can the common citizens hope for lesser nepotism, lesser corruption and better governance? All common citizens dream of a peaceful life, stability and development.
Let’s usher in the New Year with positivity and hope. Let the New Year usher in more development across all fields, besides peace and stability, lesser natural disasters like floods, river erosions, landslides and storms, and lesser corruption.
Wishing all readers a very happy New Year, 2024. By the way, what’s your New Year resolution? (The contributor is retired Group Captain, Indian Air Force)
