Shalom and good tidings unto you dear reader; welcome to 2017. We will not waste time belittling your intelligence or lying to you by wishing you a universally standardized, not to mention over used, over rated and all too common “Happy New Year”… because it’s not. Wait…not what? We used like a bunch of adjectives there, so what is it not? Adjectives aside let’s FOCUS (shameless plug) our limited attention spans on the “happy” the “new” and the “year” parts.
Well it is a year, there’s no denying that. 365 days have gone by and we’ve run through the cycle of the seasons. So it is indeed “another” year; according to the human races perceived definition.
The happy part would be debatable, depending on the emotional status per individual. Of course since the “Happy” is being wished upon you, (rather than being a proclamation of your current demeanor) your current happiness is irrelevant. So it is safe to surmise that, despite your possible crappy mood, we could wish you a “Happy Year” and that’d be okie dokie fine. However the “New” is highly questionable.
Seriously, other than the alteration of one digit on the calendar what’s “new” about it? How will this year be “new”? How will it be any different than the one that came before it or the one that will come after? You probably looked at and will look at them in the same light. Do you think the “new” implies the chance to begin anew? That it will provide a plethora of opportunities for newness? Well, unless you’re a newborn you’ve already got a few “news” under your belt and the olds don’t appear to have produced any significant news or newer news. You’ve still got the same status quo; same position in society, same struggles, same joys, same heartaches and same old you.
However, there is still hope because they say: the more things change, the more they stay the same. So if you’re still the same then things have changed…right? But if nothing ever changes would that mean that nothing is ever the same? Like life is somehow just an ever-changing, repetition? Wait! So now you’re pondering how can something be repetitive if it’s ever changing? Well if it’s ever changing, then the constant change would eventually be repetitious. Life is recyclable. Anyone who comprehended the “circle of life” speech in The Lion King understands this (and if you didn’t…hakuna matata). There is nothing new to be found here on planet Earth, regardless of the human races decreed time frames. We take the old, reshape and mold, making it into something different, never something “new.” But if nothing is ever new, how can anything be different and can anything ever be new?
We’re going to stop here because we have dug a psychological hole so deep this writer can no longer see daylight. Seriously, when you start quoting Mustapha it’s time to quit. Though it would be remiss not to point out that the fertilizer that a decaying lion’s body produces is in no way equal to the number of antelopes said lion devoured whilst still alive. Which is perhaps a discreet way to point out that the circle of life is unbalanced and tilts the scales to those in power. Now before we go off on a tangent about how recycling applies to different social classifications let’s return to the subject at hand- the NOT New Year.
It’s just the same thing all over again only marked by the passage of time and a new calendar. Which is not really new just different from the tree it once was… which was just dirt before. Hmmm now there’s an interesting thought everything is just different forms of dirt. So if you get dirty are you growing or evolving? Anywho…
Same s*** different date! You’ll get up at the same time, go to work at the same time. You’ll eat, sleep, weep, celebrate and live pretty much the same as last year.
Unless you are a hobo. Then you never know what’ll happen tomorrow. Being a hobo seems like a spontaneously fun career choice. But hobos aside… Happy Different Year, Happy This Year, Happy Another Year, Happy Completed Cycle of the Seasons…Year (that last one would be a b**** to fit on a greeting card). We can’t logically call it new but at least the “happy” is consistent. So embrace the happiness in life as the year begins. What will be new is what you choose to do with it.
Next week: A true tale of horror as the cat comes back!!!
I welcome almost all questions and comments via FOCUS, or email me at [email protected] or you can FRIEND me on Facebook under Saw’s Brood!
Hope to hear from ya, until then try and stay focused. See ya!
