New Year’s Resolutions, why?


That is a serious question there.  I mean, why do we make them?  When I say “we” I mean the rest of humanity, I don’t make them.  So why is it that people go through the motions of making resolutions knowing full well they have zero intention of keeping them?  Unless you are that person that keeps them, and if you are, move along overachiever.

Do you know why we make resolutions?  First let’s look at the when, you may be surprised here.  Well, according to a website (I am not in school anymore, so I am not going to cite it…I am living dangerously here), this tradition dates to 153 B.C.  Yup, you read that right, this exercise in futility has been around far longer than even Aunt Bethany’s green Jello mold.

In case you were wondering, and I know you were, January is named after Janus, not Joplin, but rather Janus, a mythical god of early Rome.  He is a god of many things like passages, beginnings, and the change of time.  Janus was two-faced (much like your jr. high friends): one to look to the future and one to look to the past.

Okay, now let’s look at the why and make Simon proud.  On December 31, the Romans imagined Janus looking backward into the old year and forward into the new year.  This became a symbolic time for Romans to make resolutions for the new year and forgive enemies for troubles in the past…I’m looking right at you, Karen.  To think, all this time you thought December 31 was celebrating Dionysus.  I am just going to let you Google that one.

To sum up this pointless diatribe, like that resolution you just made, resolutions are a thing of antiquity that we should all skip.  Okay, that was harsh, albeit true.  If making resolutions is your cup of tea, by all means, do it.  Keep the tradition of the Romans alive.  Janus thanks you.  As for me and my house, we will serve Aergia.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Autumnal Invocation

Image
Fall, I have fallen for you.   This is my prayer to celebrate this triumphant occasion.   Oh, the bounties that thou hast provided this illustrious juncture lifts my heart and fills my soul with joy as I look upon thee and the blessings thou doth bring.   My cup runneth over, for the autumnal splendor that explodes upon me is more than I can contain.   I pray thee well, oh mother of nature, for thou hast provided us this season of thanks and giving. My dear, glorious, beautiful division of periods set between the warmth of summer and chill of winter, thou hast brought me so many things for which I am grateful.   I want to thank thee openly - for the world to see, read, and hear.   I shout my gratitude to the heavens and feel it burning in my bossom. Bountiful grace I extend to thee for the bringing of the football, for it fills my everlasting presence with a happiness unmeasurable by the accounting of man.   I thank thee for the oblong t...
Read more

Go Time.

Image
It’s “Go Time!”  What time is that?  Funny you should ask.  What’s right around the corner?  Thanksgiving?  Too easy.  Think harder.  Not that hard.  Okay, you have it now.  Yes, it’s Christmas (shudder).  So, in preparation for Christmas what do we do?  Decorate?  Put up lights?  Shame on you, it’s WAY too early for that.  If that was really your answer, so help me… There is something bigger at play here than your lights and trees and the decorations adorning your tables and mantles.  There is the real focal point of Christmas to consider.  There is one thing that can and should bring us all together, once a year, in a spirit of peace and love.  The true meaning of Christmas.  The one undeniable truth – Presents. I’m not talking about giving them, okay I am, but still…  Let’s be honest, we all want to get them!  Or is that just me?  I can’t be the only selfish p...
Read more

February – It Almost Wasn’t a Month

Image
Yup, we are going back to February, there was more you needed to know. If you are looking for a few words on Valentine’s Day, there, you just got them.  I have decided to spare us all the pain and agony of reading another article about the love day, hard pass.  Instead let’s focus on February itself.  As you may or may not know, February is the second month of the year, it also has an “r” which makes no sense to me.  I mean it’s like Wednesday with its rogue “dn” messing with everything we know about English. Now let’s get to the real meat and potatoes of the whole thing – where does the word February even come from?  Well, here it is: February was named after the Latin word februum, which means purification because the month was a time for purification – don’t ask me, I didn’t come up with this. This is actually quite interesting because the Old English word for February is Solmonath.  Why is this interesting?  Well for starters Solmonath is...
Read more