Some sober thoughts for 2007

Six days ago another New Year ushered in, and you know what that meant. Billions of people throughout the world wished each other a happy New Year. Millions of people (perhaps, including you) made resolutions, 90 percent of which, are no more valid by now.

If the Roman god Janus was around today, he’d have a thing or two to tell us about resolutions. Enshrined in ancient mythology, he was the god of change, transitions, and beginnings. The Romans named the first month of the year after him for very good reasons.

If you talk about his physical appearance, Janus had two faces — one looking forward, the other backward. Symbolically, it signalled the need to balance our hopes for tomorrow with a keen awareness of what happened yesterday. Romans really knew what they were doing.

I’m sure you don’t have much need for Roman mythology. But it strikes me that Janus might know why so many resolutions are forgotten by the end of the first week of January. Could it be that we’re only looking forward — when we should be looking back in equal measure? I call them ‘old Year reflections’.

What would we do differently at work if given the chance to circle back and relive one week last year? What did we learn at work this past year? Did we stay in touch with our deep interests as individuals? What social values have we developed?

Talking of social values, I want to share with you a little event which took place in the USA a few years ago. It is quite a revealing story.

A group of alumni, highly established in their careers, got together to visit their old university professor. Conversation soon turned into complaints about stress in work and life and social values.

Offering his guests coffee, the professor went to the kitchen and returned with a large pot of coffee and an assortment of cups - porcelain, plastic, Styrofoam, glass, crystal; some plain looking, some obviously expensive, some exquisite - telling them to help themselves to the coffee.

When all the students had a cup of coffee in hand, the professor said: “If you noticed, all the nice looking expensive cups were taken up, leaving behind the plain and cheap ones.

While it is normal for you to want only the best for yourselves, that is the source of your problems and stress. Be assured that the cup itself adds no quality to the coffee. In most cases it is just more expensive and in some cases even hides what we drink.”

“What all of you really wanted was coffee, not the cup, but you consciously went for the best cups... And then you began eyeing each other’s cups. Now consider this: Life is the coffee; the jobs, money and position in society are the cups.

They are just tools to hold and contain Life, and the type of cup we have does not define, nor change the quality of Life we live. Sometimes, by concentrating only on the cup, we fail to enjoy the coffee the Nature has provided us. Remember - Nature brews the coffee, not the cups. The happiest people don’t have the best of everything... They just make the best of everything”.

Let me tell you few simple things you could do to boost your sense of social values. Say a few kind words to your partner and your loved ones, but most of all mean it.

A hug and an embrace will mend hurt when it comes from deep inside of you. Remember to hold hands and cherish the moment for someday that person will not be there again. Give time to go out of your way to help a friend in need, give time to speak with that elderly neighbour or a relative who is living alone, and give time to share the precious thoughts in your mind.

Remember, life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away. By changing ourselves, we can change the world around us. Life is a marathon not a sprint. The desire to make change in our own lives has to be ongoing.

I will leave you with a quote from Benjamin Franklin (my favourite US President) that seemed to me an appropriate ending for this column: “Be at war with your vices, at peace with your neighbours, and let every New Year find you a better person.”

In these first few days of the year, if we all just take time to reflect upon our fortune, our connectedness with each other, and ways in which we can better ourselves and help better our friends and family, I think we all could consider our resolutions a success.