The "new year" has begun at different times for different cultures, but as much of the world homogenizes through communication and business, January 1 marks the common celebration.
Why bother?
Why not?
We need our diversions from war and natural disasters. We need a moment or two to remind us that we share a common humanity. It doesn't have to be religious or serious. Something as innocuous as acknowledging the passage of time in our lives... that we have each spent another year of our life's currency... and that we are still here.
It could be a maudlin time if we so choose... and some do, but most of us find it nothing more than a celebration that lets us mentally reset the scorecard. Businesses do that as a matter of practice by setting new "objectives." So do governments with new "budgets." New scorecards; new scores. Individuals make their "resolutions." It's not that a lot changes, but it's that we allow ourselves a "fresh start." It's too hard to measure progress in increments of a whole lifetime, so we pick shorter timeframes... more manageable portions of our lives.
So, happy new year to you. 365 days to either continue as before or change. But a "fresh start"... a new scorecard... a system re-booting. With any luck, we'll be able to check our scorecards next New Year's Day.
