There is a sweet excitement of entering a new year. This “New Year’s Eve excitement” it’s always made me think. This year I wanted to examine the dictionary definition.
It is explained as “the first day of January, the first day of the year”. So, when I asked what made me think so much, I was met with the dance of the end of the previous year and the beginning of the new year. The “beginning” of one year, the “end” of another. The theme of these two concepts is so delicate; on the one hand, a moment so small that it can never be fully experienced or observed, and on the other hand, a moment so precise, observable and experienceable that it can be celebrated with a countdown.
From another point of view, the Earth’s rotation around the Sun, far more massive than can be imagined, is so small as to be negligible in the context of the universe as a whole – and I’m not sure it’s possible to think of it as such. It’s as if it’s a dance in which unimaginably complex physical movements are performed in harmony with a set of rules.
At the beginning of a new year, I like to take a journey towards the reflections of this dance in me and the feelings and thoughts that these reflections are connected to. Is this dance a very important dance? Maybe not. I’m actually the only viewer, but it’s just as important and it’s a great opportunity to do some accounting.
Perhaps one should use this moment of beginning, blended with transition, to pause for a moment, to review what one has, to do a year-end “stocktake”. Many businesses even take this transition as an opportunity to do a “stocktake” at the end of the year to see what is in, what is out, and what is on hand, and try to zero out the difference between the estimate and the reality. Failure to do so at the end of the year is not a big deal; it can be done at the beginning of a new year. Of course, none of us is a company, but we are definitely a “venture” or a “start up”.
Therefore, it is valuable to look at what is available. What do you have with you when you start a new journey? What is left of the journey so far? What can be done to learn lessons about their existence and enjoy what is available?
Human beings are perhaps the greatest capital. The human being and the other people that human being touches, comes into contact with, thinks about. Those who disturb, upset and anger as much as their family, friends and loved ones. Based on the saying “man is the mirror of man”, this “human capital” is actually our image in the mirror. The aspects of our lives that we are grateful for and the aspects that make us sad and uncomfortable. When you see yourself in the mirror, you involuntarily want to fix your clothes, your hand, your face; with this perspective, you should look at the people in your life to see if you are satisfied with your appearance or if there is anything you want to fix.
The start of a new year may seem like one of the Earth’s uncountable number of revolutions around the Sun, but it is a precious occasion to see what can be learned from what happened in the previous cycle.
Looking ahead to 2022, I see how important it is to understand the full meaning of “uncertainty” and “chaos”. Is it possible to understand? I don’t know. Trying to understand – yes, absolutely. As part of this endeavor, the 13th World War II, a period of uncertainty, chaos, economic and political troubles similar to the one we are experiencing today, has been organized. I wanted to look at what was being written in Anatolia in the first century. I wondered what they thought about change, uncertainty, fear and boredom.
One of the texts talked about not resisting change, that life can go upside down and that this can be a good thing. “How do you know the gold won’t be better than the top?” the speaker asked.
In another, when asked what fear is, “Fear is the inability to accept change. When change is accepted, it becomes an adventure.”
Even if the thought of accepting change sounded as titillating and disturbing as the sound of chalk on a blackboard or two stones rubbing against each other, someone else was saying, “If you are so disturbed by every friction, how will you be polished?” Isn’t the value of jewelry in its chiseling and polishing? Isn’t it in its parts, in its roughness that it “loses” in this sculpting?
Maybe in 2022 I can learn these things. May I know? I can try to learn, it seems to me a good intention for 2023.
Saying hello 23, goodbye 22 is also a great occasion to review intentions. Intention is very important, because I think it is the fuel of effort. Effort creates movement. There is abundance in movement. There’s a saying I like very much: “Where people don’t have fun, good work rarely comes out.” I can change it to this: Where people don’t have fun, there is rarely good work. So how does one have fun? Appreciating what you have, savoring the moment, which is sometimes bitter, sometimes sweet, but still exciting. Every moment actually offers another flavor to experience. It’s like the excitement of a footballer going on the field, an actor going on stage. Another good quote: “It may not be necessary to try not to be excited when you go on stage, you go on stage for the excitement.”
One should not focus on fear and anxiety. A precious saying comes to mind: “I never lose, either I win or I learn.” When the intention is to “learn”, perhaps every game is won from the beginning. Knowing that winning is a learned, experienced knowledge.
That is exactly why I say “goodbye” 22, thank you for all the people in my life who have been a mirror for me.
Thank you for the precious tips you gave me to learn to live with change and uncertainty.
And of course “hello” 23; with good intentions, so that I can always start again, to realize that every moment is a new chance and that you are my inspiration.
