I don’t believe in New Year’s resolutions. I think if you want to change something, change it today and don’t wait until the New Year.
— GEORGINA BLOOMBERG, OWNER OF THE EQUESTRIAN TEAM NEW YORK EMPIRE, A PROFESSIONAL EQUESTRIAN, AND A PHILANTHROPIST
Yes, it is that time of the year when we make promises to ourselves, usually quite a few. However, over the year, I suspect the majority of us, due to one reason or another, fail to keep some of the promises we made to ourselves.
I am, of course, referring to the well-known practice of making resolutions before the beginning of a new year.
The Cambridge dictionary defines a New Year’s resolution as one “that you make to yourself to start doing something good or stop doing something bad on the first day of the year”.
Therefore, it seems now is the best time to reorganise your life and set goals for improving.
So how did the habit of making resolutions start? According to www.history.com, about 4,000 years ago, the Babylonians made promises to their gods at the beginning their harvest festival in March (their new year) that they would return borrowed objects and settle their debts to be in the good books of their gods.
The Romans also practised the tradition but by 46 BC, the emperor Julius Caesar had moved the first day of the year to January 1 in honour of the Roman god of beginnings, Janus after whom the month of January is named.
Nowadays, New Year’s resolutions have shifted away from religious or customary type obligations. Resolutions are more commonly made as personal goals for self-improvement for those who want to ‘turn over a new leaf’.
According to some surveys, about half the populations of Britain and America now make resolutions but fewer than 10 per cent keep them.
So, what are your plans for the 366 days in 2020? Well, the following are examples of some of the more common resolutions we tend to make.
Diet or eat healthier; exercise more; lose weight; save or earn more and spend less; learn a new skill or hobby; give up smoking; read more books; find another job; drink less or stop drinking alcohol and spend more time with family and friends.
However, as mentioned earlier, a common problem with the New Year’s resolutions is that many do not see them through and it is always easier said than done.
This apparently is the result of either lack of determination or due to self-limiting beliefs (self-sabotage).
According to various research on goal setting, to increase your chances of success, make sure your resolutions are specific. Do not make general resolutions like “lose weight”, “earn more” or “exercise more”.
Instead resolve to “lose 10kg”, “earn RM1,000 more” or “run 5KM every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday”.
Moving on, there are personal resolutions and there are resolutions/promises made by politicians. A well-known one is Vision 2020.
This was announced by none other than the fourth Prime Minister. He is also now our seventh and current Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad. So, is this Vision 2020, a resolution for Malaysia, going to be realised? After all, we have now arrived at 2020.
The first vision was to establish a united Malaysian nation made up of one Bangsa Malaysia (Malaysian Race). Without going into details, I am sure majority of us would agree we are no way near this vision.
The second vision was to create a psychologically liberated, secure and developed Malaysian society.
Instead of psychological liberation, there is more evidence of polarisation in society and narrow mindedness.
The third vision was to foster and develop a mature democratic society. There was much hope that at least, this vision would materialise quickly after the Pakatan Harapan victory in 2018.
However, this, too, has been dashed with restrictions and controls on meetings and gatherings.
The fourth vision of establishing a fully moral and ethical society now looks quite laughable. With the ongoing political sex scandals and many cases of alleged corruption still unresolved, none would believe we can achieve this vision soon.
Vision number five, to establish a matured liberal and tolerant society is also dead and gone. There is currently a constant stream of hate and aggression on social media.
This proves there is very little sign of liberalism and tolerance, much less understanding. To gain political mileage, politicians are still exploiting the usual issues of race and religion.
The sixth vision of establishing a scientific and progressive society is still very far away and out of sight.
The seventh vision envisages establishing a fully caring society. Well, there is nothing ‘caring’ about the move by the federal government to remove the Critical Service Incentive payment to doctors.
The eighth vision wants to ensure an economically just society, in which there is a fair and equitable distribution of the wealth of the nation. Now, whoever believes this must also believe that lead can be turned into gold.
The ninth and final vision is to establish a prosperous society with an economy that is fully competitive, dynamic, robust and resilient. The fact that we are not able to withstand the current economic turbulence indicates we are still weak.
I am not disparaging the visions outlined in Vision 2020. In fact, when I first read about it I, like many others, were awed by it and were looking forward to 2020.
But alas, it was not to be realised. The catastrophic failure of all the nine resolutions can only mean there was a failure and lack of commitment at all levels of government towards the vision.
Sarawak as an entity, despite the many challenges, is more in tune to the aspirations of Vision 2020.
I am sure that if we are to maintain the current course and direction, we can attain our own goals of becoming a developed and progressive nation by 2030.
Let us work together towards 2030 and resolve to chart our own destiny. Surely, we can do better.
Wishing all readers of New Sarawak Tribune, a successful 2020.
The views expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the New Sarawak Tribune.
