posted on Jan, 1 2006 @ 07:25 AM
On Resolutions:
Resolutions are popular this time of year. Most probably never reach fruition; I remember when I used to participate in the making of resolutions at
New Year’s time. Most of my resolutions were not well thought out and never saw the light of day. I seem to recall my intentions being, at least
superficially, sincere but the process was very much like the one I see when I observe people expressing religious ideas namely, insincere, uninformed
and rote.
Some years ago I ceased making New Year’s resolutions owing to their prospects for success having to rely upon actual efforts on my part and my
reluctant recognition that their sorry history of realization was the actual fruit of such effort. I remember a recent attempt to change my two or
three favorite curse word expressions to a single one used by a young woman from Utah who was a contestant on the TV series, ‘Survivor’. I
didn’t title the effort a resolution but it was one nevertheless. The phrase was so perfect; I could curse and avoid the all too obvious euphemisms
like “frigging” or “Hot Damn” where everybody knows what one is really saying. The phrase could be used in polite conversation even in church,
an atmosphere dripping with insincerity and sanctimony. The phrase would of course be euphemistic and could stand for the grossest violation of polite
discourse. Could I do it? Could I succeed at converting my much less socially acceptable phraseology to this brilliant substitute?
No! Try as I might and I did try, I could not remember to insert the new substitute curse phrase in time for it to work. I finally succumbed to the
very same quality of effort and sincerity I had used for my entire official past resolutions efforts, that of the typical religious commitment; I gave
in to superficiality and gave up.
Oh my heck!
Happy new Year everybody, everywhere.
skep