So it’s January 1st. And everyone gets all excited about an artificial marker on a day-tracker called a calendar.
I lay in bed this morning, looking out at the world ‘washed clean’ by some pretty heavy rain last night. The sun shining as it does when the skies are clean of pollution, and its summer on the Highveld.
A good day to start some things, a good day to visit with friends, a good day.
But still in the back of my mind lurked the tiny mind that likes to ask “Why?”
Why would today be different from other days?
Why do people need a date to decide to try to be better, more successful, happier, more relaxed, healthier (especially just after so many have done all they can to ruin their health)?
When you think of the many, complex, accurate and inaccurate ways humans have tracked the fact that the Earth’s wobble lets us have seasons, and that the wobble indicates how long (fairly accurately) it takes the Earth to go wandering around the sun, one can be amazed.
The equinoxes and solstices are the most definite indicators of our annual path around the sun, happily wobbling along as we go , yet these markers play little role in the modern (Western mostly) calendar. How did we let the politically minded make the year dependant on factors so far removed from the physical reality of the year?
All the numerology games people play, all rely on how accurate the dating system is, yet it has been adjusted by various cultures, for various reasons. So often the lack of accurate time measurement just built up and up till it seemed the seasons had wandered around the year. And these things needed some adjustment to get back to what people knew and understood. So how on earth (or off it) could these predictions be accurate, the numbers games mean anything but mental exercise and illusion?
So here it is, the dreaded/longed-for 2012
Will the world change – yes it does all the time. Will it be the end, well if the pessimists are right, no one will be around to say “I told you so”, and if not, we’ll all have a chuckle at their expense and carry on.
For those addicted to the calendar, I wish you and yours a year of building the memories that make you smile in later years.
Viewfromtheside's Blog 
I also wonder what it is with this addiction to the calendar.
a human way to deal with time passing? a hook to hang things on?
Thanks for this Sidey. I wonder if the same questions occur every year!
happy New Year to you, and thanks for your support in the past months.
John
I suppose they di, in one or other form.
Best wishes for 2012, to you and yours
And the same to you, Sidey. Thanks for a wonderful year of posts. You are not only an accomplished writer, but also have such a gift for bringing people together. Happy New Year.
Thank you Kate, I’ve had a good year here.
Nice post, Sidey. I wish you everything of the best for 2012 and beyond!
Thanks Adee, and to you
I am quite prepared to bet millions on the fact that the world won’t end this year. Any sum the doomandgloomist would like. Of course if I lose the bet they are going to have some trouble in collecting!
Your logic about the calendar doesn’t seem to go down too well when it comes to wedding anniversaries and wives …
Col, that is a specific date on which something happened. Stop trying to get out of the fact you are poor at remembering the important dates. Tut tut!
Happy New Year! I’m looking forward to your 2012 prompts!
Happy New Year Limerick.
Thanks Madeleine
If we didn’t have clocks and calendars . . . everything would happen NOW!
That might be confusing. 😉
Happy NOW Year, Sidey.
I think its a basic law of Einstein physics that no two major events can happen to the same people at once?
I think we like the idea of re-starting, re-charging and the 1st day of the year (calender obsessed or not) gives us that opportunity/illusion.
very wise words