Christmas is a week gone and the New Year is upon us. Christmas was a time of gift-giving and goodwill. The New Year is a time of wishes and wisdom. The many postings on my Facebook wall attest to this.
After the flurry of gift-giving that was Christmas, the new Year gives people some pause to think about the year that was and about the year to come. In that brief respite, people turn their thoughts to the joys and achievements of their past year or to the regrets and pain they went through in the last 365 days. The reflection, no matter how brief, gives rise to insights from lessons learned during the year. Somehow the exercise gives people a wisdom-experience with which to face the new year with greater resolve and confidence. And they wish the same wisdom-experience for other people. Then, the humdrum hustle and bustle of ordinary everyday life resumes on January 2nd.
Wisdom, whether in my personal, professional or spiritual life, entails being aware of who I am, what I am capable of doing, knowing where I am going and how to get there and marshaling my resources to make things happen. Indeed, “in the beginning is the Word”, the Logos, the thought, the inspiration, the meaning of what life is all about.
I may sometimes not be aware of who I am because I do not spend enough time trying to know myself. Or, I may be sometimes confused on where to go because I have so many options before me and I do not spend enough time to clarify my life’s direction. Or, I may sometimes wallow in selfishness and pride because I spend too much time with myself and not enough with others, be they my family, friends or even complete strangers.
I wish for people for have the wisdom to live lives full of meaning and inspiration. I wish for them joy and happiness in their accomplishments, strength and courage in the face of their adversities, perseverance and fidelity in their everyday life and commitments, love and generosity in all their relationships. I wish for the world to live in peace. I wish for people to serve and not enslave or oppress one another. And as I spend my time in prayer, I make these wishes my prayers as well.