What is a new year?

A year is what it takes for Earth to complete a trip around the sun. We can say that we’re back to the point where we started — predictable seasons and collective celebrations of recurring events. We are passengers of this giant spaceship hurtling through space and time — we’re going ’round and ’round and only the journey can be described and the destination, unknown.

The measurement of a year is in our minds. Is there really a point in space and time wherein nature will tell that “this is the the last second of the year, the next is a new one”? There are many meaningful implications of knowing a year that will end and a year that brings inspirations anew. But if we are waiting to change something within our selves, for the better, why wait for a new year, or a new month, or a new day — why not now?

The disintegration of the concept of prepacked time — as in, how time are neatly wrapped into seconds, minutes, hours, days, weeks, months, years — also breaks down the structure of what enables us to be in sync with the rest of the world. I remember a time in college when I lost track of time (or rather didn’t care about it) and found out that I was about to join an accounting class with only a minute left. I opened the door and the professor wasn’t surprised because that was the nth time a did it. In a business law class, I wasn’t so lucky as I joined it two-thirds along the way. As I sat down, the professor booted me out, deservingly. It was an embarrassing moment.

Why did I do it? It may be established that a session wouldn’t be complete, or better yet, worthwhile, when you’ve missed some thoughts from the teacher and the students. But as they say, better late than never. I was still able to squeeze what ever meager drop that I could in those instances, however that would mean to me and my own goals. Admittedly, that was my younger self who didn’t know any better.

To those of us who will be syncing with the rest of the world, and especially with someone we care about, it’s better to be at the right space and the right time with them. For ourselves, in getting better in any aspect, the time to start is now.