New Year's Resolution

I.School

New Year’s Resolution 2025

In an 1813 Boston newspaper article titled, “The Friday Lecture,” written by an unknown author observed this:

“And yet, I believe there are multitudes of people, accustomed to receive injunctions of new year resolutions, who will sin all the month of December, with a serious determination of beginning the new year with new resolutions and new behaviour, and with the full belief that they shall thus expiate and wipe away all their former faults.”

In short, the author informs us that for over 200 years, people use resolutions as an excuse to misbehave up to New Year’s Eve.

The issue I have with New Year’s Resolution is in the words themselves. If something in life is already resolved, why change? Why keep adding? “Learn a new language,” If you didn’t have time to learn it last year, what do you think will happen this year? “Loose weight.” Same. Issues are already re-solved. What you are, who you are, are a play in motion, as we speak. If anything, believing you can “be a new you” designed by advertisers, sets individuals up for due failure. As the screens show- you can spend your life chasing an illusion. Realizing you are still stuck with you after a month of “this year will be different”, leads to a sense of failure, guilt, and further disillusionment. A set up to faulty advertisement. As planned. 

Here in I.School, we will take a different perspective on New Year’s Resolution by taking some time to break down meaning, thus purpose. 

First, start with the Etymology Dictionary definition and see if anything resonates. 

Resolution:

late 14c., resolucioun, "a breaking or reducing into parts; process of breaking up, dissolution," from Old French resolution (14c.) and directly from Latin resolutionem (nominative resolutio) "process of reducing things into simpler forms," noun of action from past-participle stem of resolvere "to loosen" (see resolve (v.)).

From the notion of "process of resolving or reducing a non-material thing into simpler forms" (late 14c.) as a method of problem-solving comes the sense of "a solving" (as of mathematical problems), which is recorded by 1540s, as is that of "power of holding firmly, character of acting with a fixed purpose (compare resolute (adj.)).

In Middle English it also could mean In mid-15c. it also meant "frame of mind," often implying a pious or moral determination.

\they generally were of a pious nature.

Pious- faithful to kindred; inspired by friendship, prompted by natural affections," perhaps [de Vaan, Klein] related to Latin purus "pure, clean.”

Next, read. What makes sense as defined?

A break up. Reduce dissolution. Simplify. Problem-Solve. Power is, a Hold firm a moral character with a fixed purpose. Frame of mind. (It does not need to make grammatical sense, it just needs to make sense to you). 

Now what?

Moral determination inspired by faith to kindred, and inspired by natural affections. Morally, resolve into a process. A simple process, holding firm to a fixed purpose. And what is that for you? Now do that. Simple. (Sort of).

Conclusion:

 A 200 year old tradition of New Year’s Resolutions deserves a break. If we keep repeating a pattern of “New Year, New you” frame of mind, and it’s not working, then our problem solving abilities are resolved. 

Reminds me of a quote attributed to Albert Einstein: “The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.” 

Here at I.School, we take (some) quotes seriously enough to investigate. And ‘I’ have time to discover that is probably not Einstein who originated this overly used, misquoted sentiment. Which begs further questions:

What is an actual definition of insanity? 

Repeating misunderstood quotes over and over again and expecting clarity or resolution? 

Making new years resolutions repeatedly. Breaking moral character repeatedly. Wait, is that a question? 

I am resolved. The super fun thing about this self-assignment, is that I found the original author of the quote, and stumbled upon an author I had never heard of and am currently reading new novels. This I.School thing is working. I am resolved to continue.