As I sit here looking out the window at
the beautiful New Year's morning, sipping my cup of hot tea, I
naturally find myself reflecting on the year that has just ended and
the one that has just begun. Of course, as my son pointed out last
night as the clock struck midnight, marking the beginning of a new
year on January 1 is a completely arbitrary decision and in that
sense today is no different from any other new day. Except that it
isn't, because we humans have chosen to mark the passage of time
throughout much of our history. We feel the need to observe the
transitions not only in seasons but in units of time such as days,
months and years. Different cultures choose different times to
observe the passage of time – ancient Persian cultures welcomed the
new year with the arrival of spring (which seems imminently
sensible), while Jewish culture greets the new year in the autumn
(both of these examples being referenced according to the cycle of
seasons in the northern hemisphere).
Celebrating the departure of one year
and the arrival of another seems to me quite useful, regardless of
when one does it. By observing the transition of years we allow
ourselves to pause, reflect on what has passed and look forward to
what is coming. Just as each day offers us a new beginning in our
lives, so each new year offers us an opportunity to begin anew on a
larger scale, or to celebrate what has been and renew our commitment
to it for another year.
As 2013 begins, I want to remember the
past.
I don't want the beginning of a new
year to mean that everything from the past is forgotten. That would
be unhealthy. George Santayana is quoted as saying “Those who
forget the past are doomed to repeat it.” Certainly we should not
forget the tragic events of history, both distant and more recent,
lest we carelessly allow such events to repeat themselves. We must
not forget the victims in Newtown, nor the young woman in India who was brutally raped and murdered on a public bus. We must remember so
that we can take steps to change ourselves and our world so that such
tragic events become rarer and even, someday, become a thing of the
past altogether. We remember the difficulties, hardships and even
tragedies in our own lives because from them we can learn, grow and
change ourselves and our world.
We remember the past not only because
of its tragedies and sorrows, but also for its joys and pleasures. I
do not want to forget the delights of my children when they were two,
three, six, nine or any other age. I want to celebrate the times with
family and friends from this past year and those before. I want to
remember with joy the people who have blessed and enriched my life,
whether they are present to me now or not. Remembering them and the
times we've shared keeps them close and honors them and the role they
have played in my life.
Even as I remember the past, I
don't want to live in it.
This past year had many memories, both
positive and not-so-positive. The years before it are also filled
with experiences both good and bad. Sometimes I'm tempted to wish
that I could return to a particular point in my life and live there
again. But I can't go back. Seeking to live in the past robs me of
the joy and richness of the present, which is the only time I can
experience fully. As much as I fondly remember my children in their
early years, I err if I value those years over the teen years they
are currently in. No matter how fondly I recall my years in
university, I can't return to them. I have passed that point in life.
I can recall them with pleasure, but I can't live there.
Realistically, I often recall the past
through highly-filtered lenses. Those early years of parenting were
great in many ways, but they had plenty of challenges. Those student
years were enjoyable, but they weren't the pinnacle of my life. When
we look to the past as a golden age, we devalue the life God gives us
to live in the present and we discount the potential and possibility
of the future. Whatever the past held for each of us as individuals
and for us as a society, we can't go back there. The way forward does
not lie in trying to recreate the past.
As I begin this new year I want to
remember the past, with both sorrow and joy as appropriate. I want to
learn from it and I want to honor its memories and experiences. At
the same time I want to embrace the present and look to the future. I
want to celebrate the life I have now, accepting its opportunities
and challenges, joys and sorrows as they come without looking back
with nostalgic longing to a time that has passed. This year I don't
want to live in the past or in the future. I want to live in the now.
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