Matthew Chensavasdijai ‘24 and Sophie Li ‘26
A New Year’s resolution is a goal that individuals set for themselves in anticipation of a new year. According to History.com, the practice originated about 4,000 years ago in Babylonia for religious purposes. This tradition continued to evolve as people set New Year’s resolutions in Ancient Rome to please the two-headed God of doorways, Janus. Later, John Wesley, an Anglican clergyman, created the Covenant Renewal Service, in which people would pray and make resolutions, often around New Year’s Day. They still appear today through entertainment and pop culture; however, are they as relevant today as in years past?
Junior Kayla Bhatia said that she did not believe that a New Year’s resolution represented anything significant. Bhatia said that a New Year’s resolution merely “marks the time of New Year’s, but it doesn’t mark anything else,” except when those who set them are “willing to follow through with them.” In terms of goal setting, Bhatia said she prefers to set “short term goals” for the school year.
On the other hand, most community members said that they believed New Year’s resolutions were still relevant, with the majority voting yes. Sophomore Lila Segal believes they are only appropriate when done immediately. “I think what’s more relevant is having a resolution as soon as you think about it and you put it into effect,” she said.
Junior Kyle Hessamfar said that he finds that his “clash between school life and personal life” often interferes with his resolutions completion. To counter this, he makes sure there is a good balance between the two and says he finds it “important to know when to put work aside” and to focus on his personal life.
Head of the Upper School Ginger Cobb, advises community members to “choose a goal that you care about a lot” while ensuring that there are “action steps to the goal.”
“If there’s no actual plan,” Ms. Cobb said, “it can be difficult to have it come to fruition.”
Senior Pamela Kim emphasized the importance of focusing on things outside of academics. She said it was important to not “always feel like you have to be academic and on top of your game.”
Although New Year’s resolutions might not be for everyone, the spirit of self-improvement still shines in the St. Andrew’s community. Even as times change from Ancient Babylonia to the 21st century, many continue to strive to improve: a tribute to humans’ ability to learn and better themselves.
Photo via IStockPhoto
