By Aramide Oikelome, Henry Oduah, Lagos
Do you make New Year resolutions? Obviously many people do.
For some, the action is borne out of the desire to improve on their lives and practices.
For others, it is mere formality which they are never able to sustain for long. A few people do not even bother about resolutions at all; they believe they are perfect already and do not need to improve on any area of their lives.
No doubt, every New Year always comes with great expectations from self, colleagues, friends, family and even from enemies. It is with great joy and excitement that we bid farewell to the passing year, with its thorns and roses; just as we say ‘Welcome’ to a new beginning. Often times, the occasion meets us at places of worship; with worshippers jubilating in high ecstasy as they herald the dawn of a brand New Year.
Many, who hitherto have hardly gone to Church or Mosque in the course of the passing year, throng the worship center to commune with their Creator. They are very particular that the New Year should meet them in the presence of God, where they expect blessings and guidance for the coming year.
Any wonder that many give in to trendy tradition of making resolutions at the beginning of a year; with the intent of discarding some habits and imbibing some others.
Of course, 2014 is not in any way different. What is perhaps new is the fact that today; more and more people are beginning to query the very essence of this dogma called ‘New Year Resolution’. Is it really necessary to make New Year resolutions? Does it make any difference in our day to day life? How about if someone makes the resolutions but is not able to keep them? And what if someone decides to run through the year without making resolutions? These and many more are some of the questions begging for answers. Sunday Independent spoke with a few Christians and Muslims on this subject and here is what they say.
Sylvanus Onyekwere, a primary school teacher described the act of making resolutions as ‘laudable’ and admonished all to make their New Year resolutions. “New Year resolution is something that is laudable. It helps man to wake up from his dogmatic slumber.” He however posited that although “It is good that we make New Year resolutions, it is much better that we keep to them.”
A female respondent who pleaded anonymity did not mince words when she said New Year resolutions has to do with individuals and how important they think it is to their growth. “I believe it is personal. If you think it is fine for you, then you can make your resolutions. Sometimes, one might need to let go of some things, some people, in order to move ahead; that is making a resolution.”
On the contrary, some people are of the opinion that making resolutions at the beginning of a year is totally unnecessary owing to several reasons which they noted.
Emmanuel Ihejirika, a civil servant, blamed the economic hardship in Nigeria as one major factor which leaves no room for one to make and keep to resolutions. “Resolution is a decision one takes at the beginning of the year. But I don’t see it as necessary that people should be taking resolutions. The reason behind it is that the economy of the country and the general situation of Nigeria do not make it easy for people. Resolutions should make a change but the conditions needed for that change to occur are not in place.”
Of course, it would be of less value if some factors responsible for people’s inability to keep to their resolutions even before the first quarter of the year are left unattended to. The fact remains that some of these factors are failure to review progress regularly and taking resolutions with indifference among others.
Damian Chukwu, a student, explained that lack of confidence in oneself is one of the factors responsible for people failing to keep to their resolutions. “Most times, people don’t keep to their resolutions. They don’t go with the confidence that is necessity for it. They just say ‘I’m not going to do this or that anymore.’ That’s why most times some people just make a New Year resolution on the first day of January and lose grip of it on January 31st. It takes a fighting spirit to keep a New Year resolution,” noted Chukwu.
On his part, Onyekwere highlighted the lack of willpower as the factor responsible for the inability to keep to resolutions made. “I think one of the problems we encounter in keeping our New Year resolution is that our will power is low. At the onset of making resolutions, we intend to keep them but we lack the will power to do so and that is why very often we fail. If we can make up our mind to upgrade our will power, we will see our families, society and nation moving forward.”
Corroborating this, a young respondent and student, Isidore Okolie advised that resolutions should be written in mind and on paper. “Anyone who makes a New Year resolution must have it in mind. A boy of thirteen can write his New Year resolution on a piece of paper and paste it beside his timetable so that anytime he looks at it, it will always remind him of what he has set out to do,” he explained.
Another teenage respondent, Ms. Catherine Udoh encouraged the writing of New Year resolutions on paper. “New year resolutions are good if one can keep to them and it is actually better one writes them down may be on the last day of the year in preparation for a new year. This will help in that at the end of the year, one can go back to it to see if one actually kept to them.”
As a matter of fact, New Year resolutions are not peculiar only to Christians as some may think; it cuts across religions, age, race, status etc. A trader, Alhaja Bilikisu Adeluola had this to say: “If an individual is ready to reform himself or herself, then the society will be reformed. New Year resolutions should serve as guidelines and I think it is necessary we make resolutions for the New Year.”
Interestingly, as a medical doctor checks his/her patient’s progress towards recovery, it is not out of place, as many have affirmed, for people to examine their progress especially as it concerns their New Year resolutions before the year runs out. “I think it is best we do resolutions or even review the ones we have made on a daily basis. It is good for us to use it in checking our daily behaviour. It is not compulsory that resolutions must be done only annually. It can also be on monthly, bi-monthly or quarterly basis.”
Onyekwere also bared his mind on this: “Within the year, in three months time, at most every six months, one should review his performance in keeping his/her resolutions. Then at the end of the year, one needs to check the areas he should improve on in the forthcoming year.”
Furthermore, parents and guardians can help their wards who have attained the age of reasoning to make resolutions and monitor their progress. Although children may be unable to achieve all their resolutions, it is certain to prepare them to handle things better as they grow older.
Recently, arguments have been raised as to whether New Year resolutions should be made only on grievous crimes like theft, armed robbery, abduction and their likes. Some others think it can be made on any thing one ought to change while opinions from other quarters show it is of no use at all.
Ihejirika commented on the issue thus: “I think it is only cases like stealing, kidnapping, smoking, that require a resolution. That is where I think resolution works. The standard of living of people will change if the economy changes for good. Nowadays, Nigerians only wake up, eat whatever they see and go to work.”
An anonymous respondent claimed that some persons blatantly refuse to make resolutions because they think their lives have been ordered beforehand to move in a certain direction without their consultation.
“I think some others just avoid making resolutions because they feel their lives have already been destined to go in a particular way,” she said.
In conclusion, Onyekwere holds “New Year resolutions help individuals have goals to achieve in a given year. It is to a great extent sure to provide self-discipline and maintain focus for an objective. The alcoholic needs it to change. The drug addict too does and so does the unfaithful partner in a relationship.”
Onyekwere likens one who fails to make New Year resolutions to a footballer playing without a goal post. “One cannot make proper use of a New Year without making resolutions. It is just like playing football without a goal post. There is no goal to be achieved and the person will just be living for the moment instead of having objectives to set one on the right path,” he noted.
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