Like every other time, stepping into the New Year is an intense exercise for Netizens (meaning we social media users !) in handling the hordes of virtual cards, messages and greetings that inundate the WA chats and the civil thing to do is promptly shoot off your own creations to all those well-wishers. The messaging traffic, however, in this surge is almost as strong as the one on the Express Highway to Lonavala on a weekend but more specifically, this New Year’s Eve !
‘Bon-homie’ spirit is so overwhelming that some send different posts or repeat earlier ones to the same person/s, some greet to remind ‘Remember me, I’m still alive’and some even post as a formality or in demi-official jargon, all to maintain ‘cordial’ connectivity. They come in droves – shiny, resplendent and adorned with bright stars, pics, emojis and carry pithy messages to mark the starting of fresh beginnings, renewed hope, looking ahead to the future. There’s a bit of repetition but there are also funny ones – ‘Eat, drink and be merry for tomorrow we Diet ! ’ or ‘Live, laugh & enjoy my photo, it’s all free’ & those profound in thought ‘You only live once, but if you do it right, once is enough’ and ‘In a world where you can be anything, be kind ! ’
What’s so special that we go on this binge of wishing each other well ? New Year celebration is important for people for several reasons. It marks the beginning of a new year and provides an opportunity for reflection, setting new goals, and making resolutions. It also brings people together to celebrate, create new memories and look forward to the future. The celebratory idea itself unites people in acknowledging the continuous journey through time. It’s like the chapter in a book that’s done with and we move on to next. Yet we go back to the earlier chapters also.
Like all our dear friends and kith & kin, we received our share of ‘goodwill’ wishes that pray for a better tomorrow for us. Yet at our age, we must have something special to say (no advice !) to our gen-next and the millennial. ‘We wish that you do well in what you love and enjoy doing because money and fame will follow, but first let’s all try to become fine human-beings !’
Working on Living 