It’s time again when people make solemn oaths for the New Year. Practical things to improve our health like quitting smoking, drinking too much, eating like a pig, no more hard drugs, or having weird sex with inanimate objects. No bizarre Satanic sacrifices or rituals, using profanities while performing surreal hoodoo voodoo, creating the undead with fat cigars, chicken blood and fifths of 151 proof rum, exercising more and generally trying to resolve all bad habits that we ignore the rest of the year. Every new year comes with wishes and fresh perspectives on how one should conduct their daily routines. Maybe you’re resolved to make more money or win millions in the lottery. Perhaps a trip around the world or an excursion to some remote exotic island. Perchance you've decided to buy some automatic weapons, stock up on bottled water, freeze-dried meals and prep for doomsday. Whatever your resolution, it usually wears off before spring. New hope springs eternal at every year’s end and life gets in the way of living.
There’s a Resolution Generator app online that’ll choose resolutions tailored for you if you're stuck. One should be enough. Too many choose multiple goals that’re impossible to live up to or down. It's ridiculous to believe we free-willed, high-spirited freedom lovers can actually stick to a regimen without strict supervision. Making promises we cannot keep. Breaking the cycle of old habits is like reprogramming ourselves into a different mindset. Classic brainwashing a la The Manchurian Candidate where we flock to hypnotists and mind-control enthusiasts. A key word or catchphrase can set us off on some tangent. Pavlovian trainers who reward or punish old dogs with new tricks. You can imagine the Top 10 most popular resolutions all have something to do with making us better, more efficient and attuned to the world around us. To avoid the deadly sins of our own desires. Where our vices grow strong with the weak nature we possess and the virtues we lack.
We forgive our shortcomings easier than the worst things we count and hold against each other, which in itself is considered some weird sin. While few sit in judgment of others’ poor lot in life, our worldly fates slip through our fingertips. It's best to live and let live. Keep our opinions to ourselves. The walls have ears and watchful eyes are everywhere. The golden rule of doing unto others as they would do to you isn’t the gold standard but it’s necessary to keep the peace.
Humanity never had it from the get-go. We repent as we put the broken pieces of our lives back together with the human glue of imperfection and celebrate a new year with the rest of the frail, splintered huddled rabble. Making us great again could be a virtuous resolution. Considering the reality that there’s an evil empire controlled by unscrupulous individual corporations. The dawning of the fabled new world order. That thousand rays of pointed light blinding our eyes from truth.
Resolutions are like self-imposed laws we make unattainable. It doesn’t make us any less foolish to break them but more the damn fools to make them in the first place. As we travel farther on down the road heading toward a place always just over the horizon. Never quite reaching the final destination. Our trip is the years stacked like kindling wood waiting to burn in the never-ending bonfire of life. We step beyond yesterday’s wishes while dancing madly backwards into a promise of some resolute tomorrow. Our hearts burn bright, full of hope and grace or burdened with heavy hearts. If there’s one resolution we could abide by it should be not to emulate or follow those who hide behind some god with a book of laws and despise all who are not like them. In their loathing and narrow-minded attempt to make something greater than it already was. To forgive others as easily as we forgive ourselves and never forget the way we go or how we arrived at our forlorn conclusions.