When I was a kid, and then a teenager, I could never understand what my friends and then the adults were on about when they said they were "celebrating" the new year". As an adult myself today, I further could never understand it, especially when I look at what is meant by "celebration".
How does one celebrate what is coming ahead? And that too by waiting in large noisy crowds and counting the second and then yelling "Happy New year"? New Year's eve is a mad night. Unruly crowd who have forgotten all civic consciousness, party animals for whom this is just another excuse to do all that is ordinarily not probable and getting drunk so that he/she can savour a hangover the next day.
What happens the next day of the so-called celebrations? We wake up more determined and have left our bad habits behind? We become more responsible people - fathers, brothers, workers, citizens,friends, etc? Life around us suddenly changes for the better? I suppose it is human malady to keep repeating the same useless, self delusional behaviors that we have been so accustomed to because EVERYBODY has been doing it FOR YEARS!
It would have made more sense to me to ponder over the passing year and/or to celebrate it. Or to give thanks for the coming of the new one. Or to say: "GOd, I am still alive. My work on earth is still not done?".
How about this to celebrate? -
Every new year means you are one year older and hence one step closer to death and old age (ceteris paribus)?
Every new year means you have an additional year to audit your performance on earth - has it been any different, useful or the same useless existence?
Every new year means you have an additional year to struggle to free yourself from the mental and emotional baggages that you have inherited - will you succeed this year?
Every new year means you have an additional year to live a life of a helpless citizen or a dignified "slave" of God or in another language - a decent human.
From cradle to grave, many live a repetitious, predictable and meaningless life. I pray we are not one of them.
HAVE A BLESSED NEW YEAR...a another extension in the lease of our life.
PEACE !
2 comments:
Indeed! I have never been able to understand the concept of "New Year Celebration"...are we celebrating the yet to come? How can we be so certain that all will be fluffy and rosy in a world full of uncertainties. I suppose the right thing to do is to celebrate the past. To celebrate the new learning we have gained from the year before. To celebrate the new knowledge we are taking into the new year. But hey, "Happy Past Year" doesnt sound as good as "Happy New Year"...:)
On another point, isnt this the same as birthday celebration. Why do we celebrate? do we celebrate because we made thru another year, aka managed to shun death? or maybe we celebrate to commemorate the day we were born, aka birth anniversary? owh yea, i forgot how much effort it takes to crawl out...:)
But hey, in the spirit of hedonism, Happy New Year! :)
mac,
I suppose in is all in the intention that makes it "right or wrong".
Anyway, yep..in the spirit of hedonism..Happy Ne Year. I "Hedoniste" used to be my nick during my irc days..you know chatting on the internet!)
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