The New Year

When one hears everyone wishing each other a “Happy New Year”, what exactly are they wishing them? Happy tends to be very generic considering that no one is happy all of the time, and technically a year cannot be happy anyways. Are we wishing each other the promise of a utopian new year? Perhaps it would be better if we told everyone to have a safe and productive new year or I hope that nothing catastrophic occurs to destroy life as we know it new year. I digress a bit, the point is that we just throw out the “Happy New Year” whenever we see someone for the first time in the new year. I would much rather think of the beginning of a new year as a chance to ignore the fact that a new year has begun. There is no wiping the slate clean just because it’s a new year, you still pay for the crimes you commit and enjoy the benefits of the goodness you showed in the past year.

How about a new greeting. I propose that we greet each other for the first time in the new year with “Have An Arbitrarily Generic and Non-offensive New Year.” I know it means nothing, but at least I can sleep better knowing that no one has predicted that I will have a “Happy” year. Besides, isn’t the year a let down if someone wishes you “Happy New Year” just after you’ve stubbed your toe and nearly broken it? Did you see my black and blue toe? Next time just tell me to watch out for the vacuum in the new year.