It’s as much a part of New Year’s Eve as Times Square, noisemakers and Auld Lang Syne.
But resolutions go back much further than 20th Century pop culture. In ancient Babylonia, people would make promises to their gods at the start of each year that they would repay their debts and return any items they may have borrowed in the previous year. Similarly, Romans would make promises their god Janus, for whom the month of January is named. Janus had the ability to look back on the year passing with one face, and look forward to the year coming with his other face.
While following The Great Depression, only 25 per cent of Americans made New Year’s resolutions, by the start of the 21st Century, about 40 per cent did. One can simply turn on the television to see commercials geared to this increased trend of resolving to change, specifically with claims to assist in the effort to quit smoking, lose weight and meet that special someone.
Locally, the view on New Year resolutions is diverse.
Wellington North Mayor Ray Tout had a couple of resolutions.
“Never end a day without singing a song,” he said, adding that he will be “making more time for my friends and family.” He also added that he will “continue to work hard to get everyone working together as a team for the betterment of Wellington North.”
Wellington County Library  Arthur Branch Supervisor Lynn Rawlins said she, and all the ladies in the library, have resolved to be open to new technology.
She said the library has new technologies there, such as a new e-reader to demonstrate how to download books, Playaways that are an all-in-one audiobook, with a universal jack to plug into a car stereo system, or use headphones, and the Playaway View, which is a book-on-tape with the pages shown on the GPS-like screen. Both the Playaway and the Playaway View have pre-loaded books.
....Please read more in this week's Arthur Enterprise News