New year's no resolutions

Every year people ask what your resolutions are. It's as though they emphatically expect them to be made. The concept of not making them seems anathema to many. Yet it isn't really clear why. The delineation of the years into calendrical months on a cycle that we pass is an artificial human construct. We like to mark the passage of that difficult concept 'time' itself by having a sense of control over it and contain it within a structure we have created.

We also like to mark out events within that artificial structure - hence the festivities each time a 'new year' comes round. Few stop to think that if we weren't artificially marking this time the world would still revolve, the sun still rise & set and nature would continue oblivious. No; we like to feel a sense of something momentous occurring around us.

By having that sense of the momentous we are then prompted to review our own circumstances, encouraged possibly to be critical of them and then finally, as we have a momentous staging post to work from, do something about it - or resolutions. typically they involve quitting things - smoking, drinking, over-eating or the pursuance of things - better health through exercise, weight loss, a push towards academia, knowledge broadening.

All seem to come with the inherent caveat of our own inadequacy without the resolution. Yet most are broken and or forgotten by spring. Why is this? Are we inherently poor at sticking to our resolve, is it low will power? Are we unable to perform to targets. Or were we setting ourselves impossible targets?

Most likely of all seem the concept that possibly just possibly the resolutions were an unnecessary distraction. We know what we want or need to achieve. Often too we are comfortable as who or what we are. There will be no diet in my home prompted by the ghastly vision of size zero models looking like escapees from a POW camp, nor will those horrendous self-esteem affirming magazine articles that proliferate at this time of year (that have exactly the opposite effect) have any impact.

Most of us know the basics. Eat a balanced nutritious diet. Exercise. Don't over-indulge. Pursue the things that interest you. We don't need New Year to tell us this. These are everyday sensible lifestyle choices. No resolution will enhance them if we already know and understand them.

Perhaps the greatest resolution I will make this year is not to resolve anything at all.