Page 23 - Scene Magazine 41-01 January 2016
P. 23

Ask A Trooper
New year’s Resolutions: What Do They Mean To you?
By KRIStI ANgELO, Community Service trooper
I wonder how many people make a New Year reso- lution and actually keep it? I cannot remember keeping a New Year’s reso- lution, and I don’t recall the last time
I even made one.
I decided to look up the definition
of the word resolution from the Merri- am-Webster online dictionary. This is what I found: A firm decision to do or not to do something, “She kept her res- olution not to see Dan anymore.” Syn- onyms to the word resolution: intention, resolve, decision, intent, aim, plan, pur- pose, perseverance, etc.
I also found that the origin of the New Year’s resolution dates to way back in time. “Historians track the origin of this custom to the ancient Babylonians, who used the New Year to try to make amends for their wrongdoings of the past year. The New Year’s celebration originated around 2000 B.C. in Mesopotamia. And each culture or background had a differ- ent time of year they considered the New Year.”
Another question that came to mind is, do people make their resolution to resolve an issue affecting someone else, or do we make them just to bene- fit ourselves? So I looked up the top ten examples of New Year’s Resolutions people make every year, and here is what I found:
1. Drink less.
2. Save money.
3. Help others.
4. Find a new job.
5. Quit smoking.
6. Find love.
7. Take a trip
8. Getfit.
9. Join a gym.
10. Enjoy life.
How about if we just practice these intentions, plans, etc., every day? Just think about it. If you drink less, quit smoking, help others, and find a new job, you might be able to join a gym, get fit, find love, take a trip, and enjoy life.
Of course, your new job may start with long hours and no time off, which could lead you to drink more, start smoking, quit the gym, and become unfit. All of which causes you to loose love, become lazy, get depressed, and loose your job. This may leave you plenty of time to take a trip, but then you’ll have no money to fund it.
My ideas for a New Year’s resolution are simple. Treat others like you would like them to treat you. Appreciate the gifts of nature and life. Just breathe and take a walk or run outside, and notice all the wonders that surround us. You see, we get so wrapped up in the small things that we often forget about all the won- ders of the world.
We have become a generation of communication via electronic devices to such an extent that we don’t listen to each other anymore. Ironically, while we have the means of faster communi- cation, technology has actually made hearing optional. Let’s not even talk about where our eyesight may end up in the years to come.
How about having a real conversa- tion face-to-face or even voice-to-voice? We lose so much just typing words and hitting send. No facial expressions, no tone of voice, no hand movements, or eye rolls. I myself talk with my hands and facial expressions a lot. I think we all do, and without that visual or vocal contact, we are easily misunderstood. Although sometimes not seeing the “eye roll” might be a good thing. I think human contact is so important. I mean really, can you feel a hug online? Does an
Emoji really do it for you? Whatever happened to an old-fashioned, hand- written note?
When was the last time you set your cell phone down for just a minute and didn’t think about it? When was the last time you left the house or office without a phone or laptop? Imagine if social me- dia had to be 100% accurate, and if we went back to knowing what was happen- ing in our, “neck of the woods.”
Don’t get me wrong; I think it’s im- portant to know what is going on in our world. But I believe that we all could do a better job keeping it accurate and fac- tual... and real. Yes, we now have cam- eras and video devices everywhere with the use of our cell phones, or should I say hand-held computers. What is really scary is that cell phones seem to be acceptable anywhere and everywhere. Yes, you may see the, “Please turn off or silence your cell phone” signs posted in different lo- cations, but who actually adheres to it or enforces it? I see people texting in movie theaters and other inappropriate places all the time. It’s become the norm, unfortu- nately. Our manners and focus seem to be going by the way side.
So for this year, 2016, my New Year’s resolution is to concentrate more, seek more human interactions, and text and surf the web less.
If you have been struggling with overcoming old habits and problems, do not settle for the repeated failure of shallow New Year’s resolutions. Instead reach out to others for help or go to God in prayer and ask Him to intervene in your life.
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