Can you believe it? 2008 arrived in style, and there’s so much accompanying it that I barely know where to begin.
First of all, we’re just inches away from 2010 – that auspicious year when we can finally cut out all those dead-weight syllables in “two-thousand and eight,” and jump straight into “twenty-ten.” 2010… THE FUTURE IS NOW, BABY!
2008 will reveal the next President of the United States of America, the man or woman who will broadly determine our country’s direction for the next four years. Every time an election rolls around, politicians invariably assert, “This is the single most important election in the history of our great country,” but this time they actually mean it (someday they’ll discover a way to write sarcasm without having to point it out blatantly and kill the effect).
It’s a leap year. I know that’s not too exciting, but nonetheless, it’s vitally important for maintaining the accuracy of our Gregorian calendars. So everybody give it up for February! You’ve saved our collective ass again, old friend; without you May would eventually stand in July’s place, and who knows what would happen!
And who could forget the Olympics? A time when political issues are temporarily set aside, and all the countries of the world come together under the same roof to hate each other for an entirely different set of reasons. A time when my own national pride reaches its threshold, and compels me to cheer enthusiastically for people I don’t know competing in sports I know nothing about simply because I want to hear them play the “Star Spangled Banner” at the medal ceremony.
As you know, this round of Olympics will be held in Beijing, and how the emergent superpower China handles the pressure should prove interesting. They’ve already kicked out all the homeless people and prostitutes from Beijing, and displaced tens of thousands of people living in tenements to make room for the Olympic-sized facilities. Not to mention China will have to put off conquering Taiwan for the time being. The Olympics are magical.
But going beyond 2008’s little eccentricities, any new year brings with it a sharp incline in nicotine gum sales and gym memberships. Why? Because seeing 2007 go wizzing past, only to become smaller and smaller in the rear view mirror, helps us feel the poignant sting of our mortality. A greater sense of personal reflection ensues, revealing mounds of dust and filth previously swept under the rug and forgotten. This results in improved self-awareness and fuels our desire for change.
For so many people, 2008 means a fresh start toward a holistically better standard of living. The past is done, the future is yet unwritten and today is a new day full of possibility.
So why does the first of January feel like more of a new day than April 12? For the same reason that still I have odometer pictures at both 10,000 miles and 12,345.6 miles from my old van. People favor “round” numbers and landmarks, but we need to realize that every mile has the same significance as the mile before it, just like every day is a new day. The only difference between April 12 and January 1, besides the weather, is our perception of that day, and so the only barrier preventing us from making the same resolutions every day of the year is ourselves.
The start of a semester is a different can of worms. There really is something different about not being behind on homework yet and not knowing who your new click of peeps will turn out to be. Throughout this semester, I will continue to parcel advice that has worked for me over the years in creating a simpler, more fulfilling life.
For now, though, I have one little tid-bit of advice: GO TO CLASS!
About the writer:
Keven O’Toole is a junior philosophy major and can be reached at [email protected].
