Opinion

Resolving to be better is as old as civilization

GOTCHA - Jarius Bondoc - The Philippine Star

January 1, 2020 | 12:00am

New Year’s Day is every man’s birthday, Charles Lamb said. We get the chance to start life anew. Resolving to be better in the New Year is as old as civilization. The Babylonians 4,000 years ago found occasion to return borrowed farm tools. The ancient Chinese repaid debts, and mended broken relations with kith and kin.

Aptly the New Year symbol is a baby carrying a banner of the year. It supposedly began in Greece in 600 BC as part of celebrating the god of wine, Dionysus. A babe was paraded in a basket, depicting the deity’s annual rebirth as the spirit of fertility. Early Egyptians also used infants as the symbol of rebirth.

January 1 became the start of the year in 46 BC, when Julius Caesar made a calendar that reflected the seasons better than previous ones. The Romans named the first month after Janus, the mythical king with two faces, one in front and the other back of the head. The symbol of promise, Janus could look to both the past and the future. On New Year’s the Romans sought forgiveness from foes and exchanged gifts with friends. Coins imprinted with Janus’ double face were favorite gifts.

Early Christians frowned on New Year festivities as paganism. In the Middle Ages they changed New Year’s Day to Dec. 25, the birth of the Savior. Then it was moved to March 25, the day of Archangel Gabriel’s Annunciation to Mary that she would bear the Son of God. Revising the Julian Calendar on Feb. 24, 1582, Pope Gregory XIII restored January 1 as the beginning of the new year.

On this day Filipinos resolve to lose weight, spend less, or end vices. But the way they injuriously explode firecrackers and booze all Eve’s night, it’s more like the New Year being a fresh start on their old ways.

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The Top 10 New Year’s Resolutions in survey after survey are:

1. Spend more time with family and friends.

2. Exercise regularly and stay fit.

3. Diet and keep trim.

4. Quit smoking.

5. Enjoy life more, not necessarily by living it up, but being happy and healthy in body, mind and soul.

6. Quit drinking.

7. Get out of debt; spend wisely; stick to a budget.

8. Learn something new: change careers, reenroll in school, take up a hobby, read more.

9. Help others; do volunteer work.

10. Get organized – at home or work.

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A separate survey shows that most people forget their New Year’s promises by the first two weeks of the New Year. Almost everybody would have forgotten by midyear.

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Psychologists suggest five ways to keep our New Year’s pledges:

1. Aim low. Resolutions are easier said than done; so don’t shoot for the moon. Like, instead of declaring to shed off 30 pounds, be happy with ten or 15.

2. Don’t overload. It’s hard enough to keep one promise, so no need to take on more. Like, if the pledge is to find a girlfriend or beau, maybe just losing weight first would do.

3. Tell everyone you know. Keeping resolution(s) to oneself leaves us with only one person to egg us on. No shame in seeking help.

4. Reward yourself. Try Pavlovian conditioning. If we vow to spend less and shunned the shoe sale, buy a steaming cup of cappuccino.

5. Start at the best time. Sometimes it’s impossible to fulfill your pledge right on New Year’s Day. Try other early days of the year, like Chinese New Year, Jan. 25, or Valentine’s, Feb. 14.

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As for me, my goal in 2020 is to accomplish the goals I set in 2019 which I should have done in 2018 because I made a promise in 2017 which I planned in 2015.

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The toughest but worthiest self-improvements are of character. The Toastmaster’s Treasury Chest features this New Year’s verse, author unknown:

A little less impatient with those we deem too low;

A littler less of arrogance because of all we know;

A little more humility, seeing our worth is slight;

We are such trivial candles compared to stars at night!

A little more forgiving and swifter to be kind;

A little more desirous the word of praise to find;

The word of praise to utter and make a heart rejoice;

A little bit more careful to speak with gentle voice;

A little more true eagerness to understand each other;

A little more real striving to help a shipwrecked brother;