Why is January our scapegoat?
Originally published between 2015 and 2018, this post has been updated but preserves its original publish date as best as possible as content is migrated from the archives of The Flavored Word.
I’ve never been big on New Year’s Resolutions. I’m more of a Monday girl—you know, Mondays are the start of a new week and as there are 52 of them throughout the year, I sort of figure why not let Mondays be the day to turn over a new leaf … or let an old one drift off with the wind for that matter.
There’s a lot of talk this time of year about losing weight, drinking less, working out more … even reducing debt, being more charitable, more introspective, more forgiving, more passionate, more in-the-present … all good ideas—no, great ideas, but also all things we should give attention to during the entire year not just during the month of January (hence, my aforementioned Monday decree). And sometimes, I think knowing that January first is around the corner gives us leeway over the Holidays (think Christmas cookies, Thanksgiving turkey, Halloween treats) to overindulge … eat too much, spend too much, drink too much, procrastinate too much.
January is our scapegoat. Our liberator. Our redeemer. And I suppose that’s a good thing because God knows we humans need one. But why January? Why not Mondays??
According to Roman mythology, Janus is the god of the doorway, hence, his namesake January … makes sense then that we would claim the first day of this first month as the day to set our intentions for the positive change we’d like to see in ourselves, but, as there are 364 more days before we get another door opening, again, I say we set Mondays … or any given day for that matter, as a time to begin a new, a start fresh, forgive ourselves, perhaps, for falling down.
Not all that long ago, I met someone who introduced me to the idea of having compassion not only for others, but for oneself—and if you really think about it, it’s the most basic of all concepts, but unfortunately, not one that many people heed. Yet, it is something I hope to teach my own children … because they will fall down. They will make mistakes. They will have outcomes they don’t plan for, wish for, want. But. If they have within them the capacity to at least try and understand their own misgivings, then they also should carry a deeper-rooted empathy for others. And that my friends, is what I hope to accomplish in 2015 … if, on January 2, 2016, I can look back and say I have learned how to be more empathetic with others, with myself, with the universe—then I will have accomplished something … and fortunately, I have 51 Mondays left to revisit this intention should I stumble along the way.
I saw people die, I saw loved ones separated, I saw cruelty and hunger on a daily basis. All that proved to me that nothing is more important than empathy for another human being’s suffering. Nothing. Not a career, not wealth, not intelligence, certainly not status. We have to feel for one another if we’re going to survive with dignity. —Audrey Hepburn
Cover image, bust of the Roman God Janus on display at the Vatican, from Flicker royalty free images.
DISCLAIMER: I’m a writer and an editor. And I try my best to make sure every post is articulate and free from errors. However, being that I edit my own work—and it’s next to impossible to properly edit your own work—I admit, occasionally there may be an error or two I miss. But doing so doesn’t make me an idiot so don’t be mean. Just smile, pat yourself on the back for finding an error and be glad you’re not the only one who makes mistakes sometimes … xoxox
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