NEW YEAR, NEW YOU! WHAT DOES IT MEAN?

A LOT IS ON PEOPLE'S MINDS SURROUNDING NEW YEARS; GRAPHIC BY KALLI YORK

For years, the celebration of the New Year has meant many things. Despite the difference in beliefs, almost all of them mean roughly the same thing: the new year is seen as a completely fresh start. Multiple cultures have different ways of celebrating this new beginning, and each one of them is brilliant in its own way. In Mexico, it is customary to eat 12 grapes, each of which represents a personal goal for the coming year. These resolutions can vary in different aspects—spiritual, physical, or mental—and depend on each person; although this isn’t the case for everyone. The same patterns are constantly repeated: Improving who we are, and even though it can be beneficial, why is it always the same?

Through the development of capital, this idea that one can always be better has emerged, and it’s never really questioned—do we really need to be better, or is it a materialistic desire that we’ve been sold over the years?

This pattern has been documented in multiple aspects of history. Greedy kings, authoritarian presidents, influencers promoting brands that aren’t entirely ethical just for the contract money, the constant desire to have a partner, drug use, etc. In case you haven’t noticed, it all comes down to the domino effect of wanting more than you have. There are many reasons why this happens. David Priede, the Director of Operations at Biolife Health Center, explained in his article published on Medium that it all has a biological origin. Our ancestors spent years trying to survive, and this motivation stems from the simple desire to live and carry on their legacy—and over the years, this nature has adapted in various ways. The way we live now is completely different from how it was millions of years ago, and as the philosopher Heraclitus said, “everything flows”. Although the problems are different in some ways, that doesn’t make them completely dissimilar. Humans still have that nature of wanting more, whether physically, mentally, or financially.

I don’t want to point this out and pretend that it’s not difficult for me to disconnect from this thought because, as I mentioned earlier, it’s in our nature. I’m constantly consuming content on social media, and I haven’t been able to feel exhausted by it—I always want more. Never being content with what you have is never sustainable because it’s a pattern that keeps repeating itself. Being in this state since the beginning of my adolescence has made me wonder: What is it that I really want to do with myself? What will really make me feel complete and satisfied with myself?

With these last words, I’m referring to whatever would show us that we’re capable. Even though it may be difficult, sometimes you have to consider what you truly want in these moments. "I want to be famous" because you feel that way you can prove you're actually interesting? “I want a big house” because that way you can fill it with the items you’ve saved on your Pinterest board? “I want a partner” because that way you can fill the void you have from not loving yourself? Do we really want what we desire, or is it just a representation of a deeper void within us that we believe can be materialized?

And with these words, I don’t want to demonize that desire to be better, but I want readers to question it. Society has created these systems that seek to materialize something so profound that it sometimes cannot be named, and at times it is impossible not to fall into the temptation of following the pattern—because, whether we like it or not, these systems confine us and deprive us of certain possibilities. But as individuals, we must discover at a deeper level what we truly want.