New Year resolutions: Choosing strength over Illusion
Each year, as the calendar turns and a brand- new year is ushered in, we hope that the coming year will be better than the present one. This hope is almost instinctive- a tradition that has continued for generations. We may make resolutions with utmost sincerity and optimism but sadly they remain unattended, quietly fading as the months pass.
Time and experience help us realise that no year arrives bearing only happiness. Every year brings with it a mixed bouquet of pleasure and pain. Whether at the level of society, the nation, or an individual, life is filled with challenges and there is no year filled only with joy just as there is no life free from struggle. Every pleasure is tinged with pain and every pain carries with it a lesson, sometimes even a hidden pleasure. In India and across the world, history reminds us of this truth- wars and failures, death and destruction, economic crises, trade tariffs, and nations competing to prove their greatness. Despite progress, turmoil continues reminding us thatuncertainty is a constant companion of human existence.
After much reflection, I have come to the conclusion that resolutions aimed at controlling outcomes often fail, because much lies beyond our control. Perhaps the only meaningful resolution that we can make is not to demand a perfect year but ask for strength to face whatever it brings. It is best to let go of our resistance to change because change is the only constant and whatever situation we get comfortable with is bound to change. Going forward I want to be at peace with who I am because life doesn’t respond to control but alignment. Aligning with everything around us helps us stop clinging to outcomes and start appreciating experiences.
A quote by British- American writer and self -styled philosopher Alan Watts on alignment and pure connection is very inspiring and a thought to focus on as another year goes by. “When you sit by the ocean and feel the rhythm of the ocean echo in your breath, when you walk through the forest and feel the silence speaking louder than words, when you hold someone’s hand and realise in that moment that there is no wall between giving and receiving- that is connection.” When you live with this experience, you can embrace change without friction and instead of asking for an easy path or a flawless journey, ask for strong shoulders to bear our burdens and a steady heart to endure storms. Instead of chasing the illusion of a pain -free life, I draw inspiration from the Serenity Prayer “Strength to accept what I cannot change, the courage to change what I can and the wisdom to know the difference”. And so, even as I resolve not to make resolutions, I realise I have made one after all. A quiet promise to remain strong, to face life as it comes, and to keep faith in my ability to endure.
