New Year…New Beginnings? Or…. [ Post #89 ]

Well, it’s that time of the year. The end of one year and the beginning of a new one. An interesting time for me. I watch every year how people respond to the “out with the old” and “in with the new.” As I said, most interesting.

I observe many, if not most people, say “Thank God, good riddance!” A new year, it’s gonna be better! Wishes for everyone of a great new year of wondrous things, etc., etc. Now, don’t get me wrong. I’m all for having a great year, and a better one than last year if, for you, the previous year was an unhappy one with bad situations and misery. But my perspective is a little different than the usual one of out with the bad and in with the good.

I have been involved with a couple of churches that have a “burning bowl” service at New Year’s where they have the congregants write out what they want to “release” from their lives and put the papers in a bowl and burn them up, thus “releasing them.” That’s sort of the same thing in a spiritual process. I’m not criticizing that ritual. I’m just saying that I see, now, other perspectives regarding this matter. Recently I attended an “elder wisdom” group, and one participant expressed her view that she does not banish the unpleasant experiences from her life or memory but contemplates the lessons to be learned from the unpleasant situations that have been faced. That’s sort of what I’m talking about. I’m more in favor of facing our “shadow” experiences and handling them. not just sweeping them under the rug or burning them in a bowl ritual. And, of course, I know many will disagree with that perspective. But you know what, as I get older, I do begin to see things differently. I thought one way earlier in life, but now I see some things very differently than I did before.

Perhaps this perspective comes from the desire that on my deathbed or as I take my last breath, I have a clean life, a clear conscience with no regrets. I’ve seen too many people die with many disappointments, regrets and much hatred in their life as they pass. Sometimes, the things we have burned in that bowl are still lingering around.

So, a new year comes. Guess what? In the coming year you will probably experience some good times, some very good times. And also, there will probably be some bad experiences, also. Doesn’t that seem to happen every year? Year after year. A new year does not necessarily mean all will be good from now on. That’s not how life works. Things happen and from our judgments and opinions, those are classified as good and bad things. But there is another perspective that things happen, and we just have to deal with them as best we can. The hope that this new year is going to be just “perfect” is not real. It’s an illusion, always has been. I’m saying, for me, this thinking that this past year is yuck, horrible and this new year is going to be superb is unrealistic. Just the way I see it.

It seems that all religions are concerned with suffering. A big theme for religions. For good reason, we all suffer at times in our lives. Just the way life is. Life is change, always about change. We have to face it to live an authentic life, as I see it. I do not think the new year is going to be much different than any other year. Good and bad will happen, viewing it from the physical, material perspective, as opposed to the spiritual perspective. That’s just my view.

So, yes, I do have my rituals when the new year comes. I do not really do “New Year’s resolutions” exactly. Many people do but they don’t seem to last very long, do they? I’ve heard statistics that something like 75% of those resolutions are already broken in the first few weeks of the new year. I instead set goals for the new year. And I usually achieve most of my goals by year’s end. I am pleased with that. I don’t expect a “perfect” year. I don’t live with that illusion. I see life as a “day-to-day” experience and handle each day as it comes.

So, yes, welcome to the new year. May it be a good one for you. May we all evolve and grow and prosper. I’m all for that. Every day is a new day, every year is a new year. Enjoy the blessings as they come and deal with what you have to deal with. That’s life.

Wally