Another new year berthed this week and the usual frenzy was felt every where – perhaps even more strongly given the particularly tough experiences of 2023 and people’s relief to “cross over” to 2024, which sadly, just like 2023 and other previous years, nobody is certain of what it has in store for us all.
The cross over thing, for me, has become so routine that it seems not to make so much sense any longer. Since my childhood I have watched people “cross over” to a new year with so much optimism and only for them, 12 months after, be in a hurry to “cross over” to another year still in an endless search for that year of ultimate bliss. In Nigeria in particular where things have been getting worse with time since independence, people end up only discovering that the previous year, which they were in a hurry to part ways with, was indeed better.
People are usually very excited and in a bit of hurry to wave good bye to an ending year in what traditionally became known in Igbo land as “ichu afo” or “ichu aro” depending on dialectical disposition. In my place, you would likely hear young people, in
those noisy midnights, excitedly and repeatedly shout, “afo gbara aka laa” – in other words, they were asking the outgoing year to go empty handed. I remember how my mother would disagree with such, wondering how one would be cursing a year that kept them alive.
This exactly highlights the problem with cross over. Any time we enter a new year, one calendar year has been deducted from our lifetime, and indeed, we may be crossing into the year of our death – crossing from year of life to year of death. Did I hear you say “God forbid!”? Forget it, those that died in the previous years did not invite death and neither did God hate them. The same thing applies to those that have already died in this new year (between January 1 and this moment) and many that will still die.
This is also one ironic thing about birthday; each birthday represents one year removed from one’s lifetime – one year closer to one’s grave. It is scary but real. That we celebrate birthdays as a moment of joy is an excellent demonstration of human creative ingenuity that can, through language and custom, turn what should bring sadness into a thing of joy and excitement.
The point I’m making is that the “new beginning” we see with every new year is merely a product of our mind and not an ontological reality. It’s a mindset that is culturally created. A new year does not bring a new beginning, it’s we humans that can create a new beginning out of a new year. This is what we do when, for example, we intentionally schedule the beginning of our activities (such as school session, annual business activities, national budget implementation etc.) to correspond with the beginning of our calendar year.
In the same way, on the individual level, it can only be a new beginning when we make January 1 correspond to a new way of seeing and acting towards life. This should not be restricted, as usual, to how we pursue material things and other mundane gratifications, but must extend to how we deal with the entire package called LIFE – in its philosophical, cultural, moral and of course material dimension.
The new year should not be a time to further immerse ourselves in the delusional dream of escaping the vicissitudes of life as being promoted by certain pentecostal tendencies and motivational speakers. It should not be a time to repudiate the REAL LIFE we have by seeking another “life” that has been peeled of its unsavoury side. Rather, this is a time to reflect on the full package called LIFE with its realities of bitter-sweet experience, and of course, not forgetting its necessary destination, DEATH.
This will be freedom and peace regained. Our delusions have robbed us of our peace for too long!
This is my meditation this midweek.
Henry Chigozie Duru, PhD, teaches journalism and mass communication at Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, Nigeria.
Nice write up Doc, but many of us feel relieved and optimistic for what we term a new beginning, to some, they may be closer to accomplishment of their dreams and to some it’s a time to forget about the agonies of the past year and hope for a better future. I think what makes us happy differ and whatever and wherever we find happiness is good for the soul.
Ohhh no! You got me in the part where I subconsciously said “God Forbid” 🤣
Our mindset is so conditioned in a way to think that a mention of death to a person or in a conversation mean hatred et al.
I have learnt a lot from this piece of work.
Thank youuuuuuuuuuu, Dr. For sharing.
Well said sir! But regardless, we will still be thankful to our Creator!
Well cooked as usual Doc, you just hit that scary reality of us heading to our graves with each new year and each birthday and funny enough nobody really want to admit this reality instead we all capitalize on bidding fare well to the ending year and praying for a better new year irrespective of whether the ending year was favourable to us or not.
Calendar years which gave rise to New year is one thing that man created to regulate his activities on earth in terms of time or periods. It does not reduce nor increase ones days on earth. Ones days on earth are already determined before conception.
This is a direct hit. Every second of the day, we get closer to our day of death but it doesn’t stop of from enjoying the new year. The new year is like a wrapped package. You unwrap it and what you see is what you get. This particular new year was celebrated as if people were like ” let’s celebrate now that we still can” . What this regime holds for us is uncertain but everyone is sure it will not be good. The reality of excessive spending during the festivities will soon dawn on all and sundry. Then, January will be a long one that doesn’t want to end.
Nice write up.
Now I know why my birthdays are not special to me, sometimes it is even sad.
A new year, a great year yet we have the choice to make it new or continue to do things that will and has not being working for us. If we keep doing the same thing we do we will keep getting the same results.
It is within the power of every individual to define the meaning of every new year. It calls for sober reflection for me.