Resoluteness of Resolutions - Part 1

‘Thank God it’s over!’ This is how most of us would have exclaimed as the clock ticked 12 midnight on 31st December 2008 and that was when we knocked the doors of 2009 expecting a better year for all. A not-so-good year 2008 was, for many, from the poor to the rich, from laborers to CEOs, from citizens to politicians and from the unemployed to the employed. Precisely, it was actually a year when many employed turned unemployed.. The year also included that 366th day, proved many astrologers wrong and made sure, astrologers really believe in their predictions when they make the same on Jan 1 2009.

I exclaim once again ‘Thank God it’s over!’

The first question many ask me on New Year Day is ‘Any New Year Resolutions?’ and I would politely say ‘No… nothing’ with a smile that makes way for two small dimples on my cheeks. The truth is, I’ve never given a thought about something called ‘Resolution’. ‘Will I work towards my resolutions?’ This is a different question altogether but the point is, I’ve never given a thought about the resoluteness of resolutions. As I was in the middle of a train journey from Bangalore to Chennai on 1st morning, I just peeped out of the window to find wall posters of Mayawati who, of late seems to be on a mission to make her presence felt in the southern states. To be honest, the first question I posed to my inner self was ‘When will these politicians stop blemishing the walls?’ The questionnaire continued ‘When will a corrupt-free India come into being?’, ‘When will educated citizens enter Indian politics?’, ‘When will secularism win over communalism?’ ' When will peace win over terrorism?' and the list went on and on. I stopped for a moment and wondered over the utopian nature of my thoughts. I asked to myself ‘Am I a responsible citizen?’, ‘Before that, am I a good human being?’ and ‘What have I achieved in life to question people in higher echelons?’

I started to reply to the questions I threw at myself. As for ‘What have I achieved in life to question people in higher echelons?’ I felt it could be answered only in the coming years. I’m just 20 and I felt it would take at least 7-8 years to satisfy my expectations and to live up to the standards that I’ve set for myself. The question of me being a good human being is definitely a pre-requisite to being a responsible citizen. Am I a good human being? Well…that called for some introspection and another interesting thing that I discovered was the toughness associated with the coming of a satisfactory answer. The term ‘good’ is multi-faceted and what appears good to me may appear bad to another and vice-versa. Only something that is just short of utopian shall befit the term ‘good’ in the minds of all or at least many. And as I thought deeper, the tenacity of the good nature of the human is quite a task and circumstances do play a pivotal role. 

Sometimes too much thinking drives one away from the main topic and it’s better to confine to just one, analyze deep, draw conclusions and then move to the next. This exactly was what I failed to do and felt the then analysis just didn’t strike a chord with my latent thought ‘My New Year Resolutions’. Even now, it seems to have been at the back of my mind all this while as it is just here that I’m disclosing the thought’s latency. I wonder if I’m a lateral thinker, inadvertently but the indirection can’t be so indirect. Whatever! I felt the need to have one New Year resolution. I believe in CROSSING THE BRIDGE WHEN IT COMES but I also believe in making sure, I’m well equipped to cross at that time. Achievements will come only with time but I must make sure, I’m moving in the right direction and working towards the same. As a first step in that direction, I made one resolution on 1st and 3 days have passed till now, I’ve tried my best and it has not been a bad attempt. 

Well…it doesn’t call for a Jan 1 to make resolutions. It’s just another calendar date with 24 hours but being the first day of a calendar year, some people have made it a point to make resolutions and they TRY to live up to the same while some have made it a fashion to make resolutions. A lot depends on the seriousness of the individual and the necessity of that resolution. As far as I’m concerned, I’ve always wanted to make 'that' as a resolution no matter what the date was but it’s just that I got more serious on Jan 1 when I questioned somebody as popular as Ms. Mayawati. I contemplated and finally made a resolution for the first time in 20 years. Three days have passed and it’s been good. It’s not just the remaining 362 days that shall call for this resoluteness but the real test is to sustain that resoluteness through the rest of my life. I know it’s all in the mindset and as I've previously stated, a lot depends on the seriousness and of course, individual priorities. 

I’ve still not disclosed what 'that' resolution is. I'll keep it for the sequel to follow next weekend. Coffee Day claims 'A lot can happen over coffee' but for me, the tagline ‘A lot can happen over a train journey’ befits. Many thoughts have flashed across my mind during train journeys in the past too and MAYBE because, a train journey seems to be the perfect time for introspection. Maybe or is that the fact??? Well… ‘MAYBE A FACT’ :) :)

To be continued….