Resolutions Resolutions!

It is that time of the year again! The time to make resolutions.

History tells us that new year resolutions date back to the times of the Babylonians, who were the first ones to fest New year and New year resolutions as well. Their most popular resolution was to return the borrowed farm equipment. Do you know what is the most popular new year resolution today? Weight loss. Yes, weight loss! Well, it is completely logical after all. After all the innumerable feasts and rounds of drinks during the festive season, people realise that they have indeed added a considerable amount of poundage and it would not do any harm to lose the same. A rigorous diet chart is plotted, gym visits are planned and the overall enthusiasm to lose weight is very high. Yet, the new year cake is somehow made to fit into this strict regiment and that is something I have always wondered how!

The first of January marks the birth of a new year, according to the Babylonian calendar. Many of us follow different calendars (traditionally, though not officially) and happen to celebrate different new year's day such as the Tamil new year's day, Ugadi (Telugu new year's day) or the Chinese new year's day! So are we to assume that resolutions are made on these days as well? Why is that adopting resolutions on the first of January so important? Why all the hype and hoopla about this?

I am a complete non-believer when it comes to new year resolutions. The first of January is like any other day - except that you change the year when you write the date. If you really want to do something good or change any aspect of your life for the better, there is no special reason for you to wait until the first of January. Say sometime in August, you realise that you are getting too angry and you should control your temper, would you wait until the ensuing first of January and let the remaining four months rot because of your temper?

One must admit that the general excitement about new year resolutions is fading out. Normally, I would have felt happy about this as it would mean people have started realising the lack of rationale behind them. However, people seem to have lost faith in resolutions of any kind, which is not a very encouraging sign.

As for me, the only resolutions that I am bothered about right now are the Security Council Resolutions relating to the ICC!

Happy new year!