New Year's Revolution #1: A curious change in alcohol.
A small change. After reading optimistically sober posts from sober students, I decided to forgo alcohol for a while- starting back in November 2021. I'm not giving up the drink per-say and I am not in any 12 step program. I just thought it would be nice for a change. Then I went to a few small gatherings, watched some shows and observed something freaky. Our obsession with booze. (Says the girl with a pocket full of rocks from her glass shack.)
A simple “no thanks, I have some seltzer” leads to questions: “Why? How? Duration? What the hell? (And… who am I hanging around with?) Then I saw it everywhere.
Two things changed: one, it made me really NOT want hooch as I ultimately saw degree to the hyeraggressive consumer push to drink, (rebel that I am); and two, how culturally and deeply rooted drinking is as a one-size -fits-all solution to life. Celebratory to discontent, drinking is ubiquitous (no wonder why it has the word quit in it), to American culture. A cause and cure- or ‘solution’- to pain. So many re-solutions are to quit drinking for various reasons in January. How is that working for us?
A New Year’s Revolution, on the other side, would be to observe the mass, location and gravity of the situation then decide. How heavy is the mass burden? Where does it hurt? What is the severity? Example: If I chose to drink over new year, would it be to celebrate new beginnings and a new snow in Colorado? or to morn the death of Betty White, say? Either way a ‘solution’ would be to drink- according to pretty much every media. Dilute being human.
My Revolution today is to take off any pressure to make big changes. Unlike new year’s resolutions of past years, today I am going to sit back and enjoy all the changes I have already made to get here on a Monday in January of 2022.
1/3/22 Revolution: (drum roll) I type.
That is amazing right? Think about how long it takes to teach someone to read. One letter, one sound at a time. And here I am just typing away like I was born to rattle my fingers off this way. And the words! Oh the words! I used ‘ubiquitous’. How cool is that‽
By the end of today, instead of calculating and calibrating; celebrating or castigating my first day of a ‘new solution’ (yikes that sounds historically ominous), I’m a success. Already enjoying my new years hard work whilst sipping my London Fog, (newly named Lakewood Fog) and watching the sunrise before 7.
It took daily small changes to be able to read, think process, and eventually type. So yea me for more better writing… ;) and seriously appreciating rudimentary skills. It also takes small initiations to drink alcohol over time.
The differences is one is more grounding- thinking, writing, doing. The other, drinking, is more conducive to pulling us into an atmosphere with no direction. A Priori knowledge. One is a consistent gravitational pull, the other sets us off in a non-directional path into orbit.
However, one is clearly more attractive and marketable to kids (and adults).
BM’s (business management systems) count on this yearly booze frenzy mentality. Consume mass substances then quit, temporarily. Substances like alcohol messes with our brain chemicals (especially young minds) and maintains perpetual customers.
Educators cannot compete with flashy big $, big BM industry targeted to tots.
Sadly, these targeted kids suffer, (and are targeted for their pre-conditioned suffering) get addicted and then society blames kids for “their” addictions. It’s insidious.
A Revolution today is an understanding of the curious nature of the alcohol industry and its impact on kids (future adults).
It is not a quick ‘fix it’ solution, but rather a thoughtful elliptical contemplation over time. Resolution= back and forth, back and forth, solution counters solution. Cha Ching.
Revolution= deep rooted change due to integral fundamental a posteriori (sustainable) knowledge. Gravitational Pull.
Elementally put: A priori knowledge is what we think we know- speculative. A posteriori knowledge is when we really Know. We might think a larger object will fall faster than a smaller one. (We think drinking more will subside our confusion); A Posteriori knowledge is when something is proven wrong, but we understand better. I still have my rocks and I understand glass better. Good things to know. Small changes.
Deep things to think about. New Year Revolution day is Complete!