A New Year’s Revolution

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

But is it?

Well, it could be. If it were happy. And really, there is no reason it can’t be happy…. If we are mindful, faithful, and grateful for everything that has happened throughout the year. But when I ask the question “is it?’ I don’t question is it happy; rather I wonder if it really is a ‘new’ year.

According to our calendar it is a new year. This is a year of 12 months and a record of years tallied to date. We accept and follow it without question. But in my never-ending quest for insight and understanding, I often question everything. Things like the origins of things, and if things are truly accurate in what they are supposed to represent.

The calendar in question is known as the Gregorian Calendar. And Wikipedia states that:

“The Gregorian calendar is the calendar used in most parts of the world. It went into effect in October 1582 following the papal bull Inter gravissimas issued by Pope Gregory XIII, which introduced it as a modification of, and replacement for, the Julian calendar. The principal change was to space leap years differently so as to make the average calendar year 365.2425 days long, more closely approximating the 365.2422-day 'tropical' or 'solar' year that is determined by the Earth's revolution around the Sun.”

So basically it is a calendar that started recording our years not at 0, but at 1582. It is based on the solar year, which makes perfect sense. But it doesn’t follow the solar year as it is. If it did, our New Year’s Eve would be the night of the Winter Solstice, before the sun begins its return. For the solar year is the time it takes for the earth to complete one revolution around the sun. 

So the year as we know it by the current calendar is not really based in reality, but merely in idea. I mean, it does track the time it takes the earth to complete one of these revolutions, but it doesn’t start when the earth is at its furthest point from the sun. Instead, the calendar starts tracking the year after the earth has had approximately ten days to journey a little closer to the sun. This calendar is a little bit bogus.

And it is all we have ever known… and we follow it without question.

Not that this is a bad thing. But in a time when everyone seems to be reevaluating their belief systems and questioning the correctness of things we commonly do, I am merely proposing a question of what to believe and follow. It’s all quite subjective. We have different systems and units for measuring things. And when it comes to calendars, the Gregorian Calendar is not the only calendar in use around the world. There are also the Jewish, Islamic, Indian, Chinese and Julian calendars.

I think the point I am trying to convey is that we can all believe different things. That is fine. That is what makes life interesting and flavourful. This whole experience of being human reflects the truest nature of life and the universe, where there are no absolutes, only infinites. And in those infinites, there are many things that overlap and are commonly agreed upon. This is good. This is what brings people together. Our shared beliefs. It creates community, which fosters belonging in the ways of conversation, connection, comfort through companionship, like-minded kinship, fostering friendships and building relationships.

We are able to see eye to eye. And those are all ‘see’ worthy ships.

But only as long as we are able to see clearly, and see beyond our ships.. and beyond the horizons of our limited imaginations. Which can only be possible if we open our minds to new ideas and perspectives. Which usually happens when we question things. And to do that, we must accept that we do not have all the answers. Instead, we must ask those questions that look for the answers in the most unexpected places. And in doing so, we will come to understand a bigger picture of the world, life, the universe, who we are and how it all works. To pursue this course is to achieve a greater place from which to believe. Like climbing a mountain to gain a greater view. We can now see further.

And we can see that our once blind faith and beliefs were true.

Believing is seeing, and seeing is believing. It begins with each new day. The opportunity for a fresh start is always there. Our future is built upon it. We can map out the coming days, weeks and months, with clocks and calendars, but the real meaning exists in the moments we live. Everything comes to pass. And it is never too late to change what we feel may have already passed us by. The time will pass anyway, so take on any task that holds some hope for you. Maybe you want to take up a new hobby, or change a habit, or take a course or pursue a big life change. Whatever it is, you will succeed. If you keep doing, and trying.

The only obstacle is the one we create inside ourselves.

We doubt what we cannot see. We base our expectations on the failures that we had before. We defend our hopelessness with arguments about how we already tried, and how we have failed. But life is bigger than those feelings of defeat and failure. Life is what we are each given, and life goes round and round. Things always change. It comes in cycles that always come back to us. With new opportunities. It’s like riding a big blue ball that is moving in large circles around an even bigger yellow ball… that gives us life.

And everything that is living is alive because of this.

So change things. And welcome the new year; the next big circle around the sun, with a new year’s revolution.