Another New Year is upon us, with today being the last day of 2023. This was an eventful year by all accounts locally and globally.
The year that is ending today was marked by intensified effects of Climate Change, from wildfires to floods, even in places that had never experienced such phenomena before.
This will be my starting point for this article on New Year Resolutions. But before I dwell any further, the first new year resolution should be to stick to them throughout the year, instead of forgetting them by the second week of January, which is what happens usually.
Climate Change is indeed bigger than any of us and is a global issue. One might assume that we as individuals would be rather helpless to do anything about it. This is far from the truth as there are plenty of steps we can take on our own to save Planet Earth.
Just switching off an unwanted light bulb can save energy, which is usually generated by thermal power plants in this country. If even 1,000 households do that on a daily basis, there will be a discernible effect on the emissions from thermal power plants, which in turn will help mitigate Global Warming. In any case, saving power is also good for the purse, in the light of higher electricity bills.
Likewise, if we use public transport for short or long journeys instead of using a private vehicle, we can save both energy and money, with fuel prices going up in 2024 with the addition of VAT. Imagine the fuel savings if just 1,000 vehicles are kept off the roads for even one day. And if the Government permits vehicle imports in the new year, only electric vehicles should be allowed in.
Simple steps
There are other simple steps that we can take, in accordance with the Reduce, Re-Use and Recycle (3Rs) mantra. Taking a reusable bag for grocery shopping and buying only recyclable or glass bottles are two good ideas. Cook or buy only the minimum amount of food you need to reduce kitchen waste. Buy local products as much as possible because their carbon footprint is much lower – if you buy a canned fish produced in Chile, imagine the distance it has traversed to get to your shopping cart. Moreover, you save foreign exchange when you buy locally produced goods, which is good for the national coffers.
Now we come to the elephant in the room. We have lived under the shadow of Covid-19 for nearly three years. Just when you thought that it is gone from our midst, a new variant called JN.1 is wreaking havoc in many neighbouring countries and one Covid-19 death has been reported even from Sri Lanka. Thus, Covid could re-emerge in 2024.
Therefore, protecting your health should be a priority in the new year. If you wore masks regularly, do not ditch them just yet. Others who have given them up are advised to wear them again for their safety as well as that of others.
The first rule to remember is that Covid-19 is not going to go away even in 2024. Thus following the stipulated health guidelines such as washing hands frequently, keeping the distance from the next person and wearing a face mask are advisable during the next year. These habits can also keep you off from various other diseases such as the common cold, which is also caused by a type of Coronavirus.
Quite apart from the Coronavirus precautions, health should be the overriding theme for the year. Stick to a healthy diet, do plenty of exercise, drink plenty of water, sleep well and do a health check-up especially if you are over 40 or if your family members have a genetic history of diseases such as heart ailments. But once in a while, indulge in the pleasures of life such as a decadent dessert. After all, barring reincarnation, you only live once. So live it to the fullest and enjoy every moment.
Learn from eminent people
This new year, you should be determined to take up something that you have never tried before. If you have never read biographies of famous people, pick up one or two such titles and leaf through. There is a lot we can learn from the lives of eminent people from various countries and fields.
Give travel, either locally or overseas, a chance in the New Year, but be mindful of any Covid advisories or restrictions. There is nothing like travel for discovering people and places and even yourself.
You can also begin a new hobby, from stamp collecting to watching movies. If you have a library of movies that are waiting to be spun in your Blu-ray or DVD player, give them a go. If that is too much of a hassle, you can always stream movies online. It is also easy to learn a foreign language online. You can also try your hand at creative writing and most newspapers including this one are willing to accommodate such creations by newbies. The only limit is your imagination itself.
It is also time to discover one’s spiritual side. You need not necessarily be religious to do so. Meditation is easy to practise regardless of one’s religious beliefs (or the lack of it) and will literally set your mind at ease. It will also give you a good night’s sleep. It is also likely to make you a mellower person overall. And if you smoke, quit immediately – there is no other bad habit that even comes close in terms of what it can do to your health. Likewise, if you are addicted to alcohol, give it up altogether or cut back.
Spirituality can also mean gaining other qualities such as kindness and compassion towards other human beings and animals. If you have never had a pet before, why not let one in, in the New Year? Pick a stray kitten or pup off the street or from an animal shelter and see it play and grow. If you can, add a human baby to the mix and watch them share life together. It will be a joyous experience.
Helping others
And there are numerous ways in which you can express your kindness to others – sometimes without spending a red cent. Helping a visually handicapped person or an old person to cross the road does not take much of your time, yet it is enormously satisfying. There are many charitable causes that you can contribute to if you have money to give away.
In the New Year, we all have to think of the environment. Thus one New Year resolution can be about living a more frugal life from an environmental perspective. Grow some plants and vegetables if you have the space – this aligns well with the authorities’ plans to grow a million trees or more and moreover, any leftover foods can be turned into compost for fertilising the plants.
It is worth remembering that Covid-19 will not be the last pandemic to hit the Earth if we continue pillaging the planet. Next year, the world should be determined to evolve a mechanism to stop future pandemics and make our planet safer for all beings.
