I wish this new year brings something "new" to our lives and we welcome that "newness" with an open heart, rather than treating it as an attack on our old habit patterns. We are here in this world to explore new possibilities and not to be stuck with the old. This new year will offer us infinite new possibilities, provided that we are "open" to those possibilities. "New" is not always to our liking. "New" will sometimes threaten the "old". I have seen many people who have lost their only child turn into great philanthropists. They accept loss gracefully and move on to new possibilities. Old States had to go for a new India to be born. Our openness to the "new" depends upon our understanding of life. If we understand the purpose of life to be accumulating and enjoying, then "new" may be quite threatening. On the contrary, if the purpose of life is to explore and grow, "new" may be full of numerous possibilities. I wish this new year brings really something "new" to our lives, and we accept that "happily" to grow beyond the "old self".
The whole world is wishing a happy New Year to each other. I wonder whether we actually know any of these words. What is happiness? Most often, we feel "happy" in the domain of the known and "old". We like to have food that suits our taste buds, meet people we know, continue with the old job, and like to continue with our old beliefs. We are not born with any of these things, but acquire them as we grow. However, somehow, we become clingy, maybe due to the addiction to their pleasure or fear of losing them. Some things form our core, and we are not happy with any "newness" therein.
The tighter we hold on to our beliefs and possessions, the more difficult it is to be happy about something new. There is a constant fight between our survival instinct and exploratory drive. Survival instinct helps us survive. We try to strengthen our existence. A plant also tries to strengthen its existence by having deep roots. Otherwise, it will not be able to survive the strong winds and attacks by the animals. However, the beauty of its life is in its growth above the surface. When it forms leaves and interacts with the Sun and produces fruits. That is the domain of exploration.
Human beings have been given far greater options to explore than the plants and trees. We need not be rooted at a particular place. We may roam around. People get settled in diverse cultures and move away from their hometowns. People change religions and belief systems. People change their education streams. People change their professions and businesses. People make new relationships and change their eating habits. I think that's why Happy New Year feels so fascinating. It ignites the explorative drive within us. Otherwise, "year" is just an artificial division. However, the moment we hear the words Happy New Year, that explorative drive within us becomes very strong.
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