New Year's Resolutions
A new year at consumption junction
New Year’s Eve has come and gone. Many people used the opportunity to spend time with loved ones and celebrate the new memories this past year has provided and toast those still to be created. The holiday itself though has always seemed a bit strange to me. Not so much for the fact that a year in the Gregorian calendar, by definition is ~365.2425 days, and therefore our celebration is normally untimely (in and of itself an interesting topic) but more so because of the social mindset of the event. Yes folks, I’m talking about resolutions.
The majority of resolutions in America, as you may have guessed, center around personal health and money. More specifically, getting in shape, eating healthier, quitting smoking or drinking, and getting out of debt seems to be of great concern for many Americans this time of year. Not surprisingly, this corresponds with the end of the religious holiday season, a time when many people over spend and over consume compared to the rest of the year, which itself is interesting since we typically over spend and over consume on a regular basis in this country.
We are a nation of consumer gluttons, both in the general sense and in the commercial sense. That we are is no secret; we acknowledge as much when we make these annual resolutions. The foundation of the country we live in is based on mass consumption. It is the one dogma most Americans can agree upon. Yet, every January 1st we vow to live healthier and spend less money, a Catch-22 if there ever was one. You can blame big business and the advertising agencies for the situation though most people will concede, if not insist, that a lack of personal accountability is to blame. The free will we so happily enjoy can not be tossed out the window as a finger is pointed to those supplying the goods for the banquet.
The golden arches of freedom
I personally feel that the burden should rest on both sides, though perhaps not equally. We can chastise the McDonalds of the world for being on every corner and advertising unhealthy products, but they will rightfully argue that they only exist because people are willing to walk inside and plunk down their hard earned cash for a 1400 calorie lunch. They are simply supplying what it is that we demand. Only we are to blame for that.
The problem we face is that resolutions rarely last. If they did then the same ones wouldn’t be made every year. So what do we do? Is there another way to change your mindset and, in turn, the mindset of the country? Do people even want their (or the country’s) mindset changed? If it is to be changed, will it only come about because of a change in consumer mentality or will big business have a proactive role as well? Does the need for growth, both on an industrial level and a personal level really drive what ails us? Does a certain amount of “we are what we are” thinking play a part in all this? What role will corporate accountability have in any possible adjustment of the consumer psyche?
From one hamster to another
If the resolutions we annually make are serious ones then these are questions we should be asking ourselves. Unless resolutions are nothing more than a sham, a warm blanket that we curl up with at night to shield us from the cold hard truth that the children we bring into this world are going to be running on the same hamster wheel that we are. So with or without resolutions, we need change. In order to advance, we need a dedication to continuous improvement. Not just a warm blanket in the New Year.
small achievable goals. well said.
Well said...there's so much truth in the "warm blanket" metaphor. People tend to be too rigid in their resolutions...it's the all or nothing/instant gratification mentality that crushes the resolve of many before Groundhog Day.
Each day of the year should come fresh with small achievable goals. Anybody's capable of lofty dreams but only the truly determined can see each rung on the resolution ladder and have the guts to get back after they've fallen down a few.