Among all the words we use each year, the ones we choose when making New Year’s resolutions must be the least convincing.
Let us be fair-minded enough to accept that when written, or more likely uttered, these declarations of good intentions generally pass the test of sincerity. We really want to be stronger, fitter or kinder, or less irritable and selfish, and hope everyone else notices our efforts. But as anyone with knowledge of life is fully aware, most pledges stand little chance of being observed.
Richard Wiseman, a British psychologist, once conducted a survey of more than 3,000 people – a far higher sample than opinion polls I have encountered – and found that nearly nine Britons in every 10 (88 per cent) who made resolutions soon broke them.
There is no need to be either a psychologist or a statistician to recognise the probable accuracy of that finding. Among the more common resolutions, giving up smoking was one I made annually throughout my years as a smoker, only to find myself gasping for a cigarette – and succumbing to the urge – at an embarrassingly early stage of each January.
Think in terms of hours rather than days and you will understand what I mean by embarrassing.
When, finally, I succeeded in abandoning the nasty, harmful but annoyingly pleasurable habit, it was because a chest infection had made it physically painful to smoke for long enough to allow the initial yearning to pass.
I have never regretted that life-changing decision even though it led to 25 years of recurring dreams about taking it up again and quickly becoming addicted for a second time.
As a child, I would often resolve to study harder.
The avoidance of a different kind of pain, the sort inflicted by teachers of the era, had more than a little to do with it.
Yet I still managed to break the resolution and, as surely, face the consequences of putting obsessions with football, pop music or even trainspotting ahead of schoolwork.
These personal experiences illustrate the mundane nature of most New Year’s resolutions. They invariably involve changes of behaviour we wish to make or, perhaps more usually, others feel we should aim for.
According to some United States research, the number of resolution-makers grew from one in four as the Second World War loomed to two in five by the turn of the century.
What good it does might usefully be the subject of follow-up study: lose weight, be more conscious in our daily lives of the environment, button the lips when sharp words are about to escape. Formal resolutions are hardly needed to persuade us of the virtues of eating sensibly, thinking more greenly or being less grumpy. Some of us could do with weekly reminders.
History grants loftier precedents. Once Christmas was over, medieval knights would take the “peacock vow”, reaffirming a commitment to chivalry.
Had I been more diligent at school, I might well know whether the knights kept to their word. Or, indeed, how many ancient Babylonians at the root of this tradition broadly kept to a solemn promise to their gods to return borrowed goods and pay off all debts. Reflecting on books never returned and past loans that took an age to refund, I suspect many did not.
With midnight on December 31 just a few days away, the wisest approach to New Year’s resolutions speaks for itself. We should all resolve to make none at all and simply try to be better human beings. But I do resolve to wish readers of The National a happy and healthy 2016.
Colin Randall is a former executive editor of The National
The Limehouse Golem
Director: Juan Carlos Medina
Cast: Olivia Cooke, Bill Nighy, Douglas Booth
Three stars
KINGDOM%20OF%20THE%20PLANET%20OF%20THE%20APES
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Company%20Profile
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Learn more about Qasr Al Hosn
In 2013, The National's History Project went beyond the walls to see what life was like living in Abu Dhabi's fabled fort:
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Results
5pm: Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 (Turf) 1,000mm, Winners: Mumayaza, Fabrice Veron (jockey), Eric Lemartinel (trainer)
5.30pm: Wathba Stallions Cup Handicap (PA) Dh70,000 (T) 2,200m, Winners: Sharkh, Pat Cosgrave, Helal Al Alawi
6pm: The President’s Cup Prep - Conditions (PA) Dh100,000 (T) 2,200m, Winner: Somoud, Richard Mullen, Jean de Roualle
6.30pm: Handicap (PA) Dh90,000 (T) 1,600m, Winner: Harrab, Ryan Curatolo, Jean de Roualle
7pm: Abu Dhabi Equestrian Gold Cup - Prestige (PA) Dh125,000 (T) 1,600m, Winner: Hameem, Adrie de Vries, Abdallah Al Hammadi
7.30pm: Al Ruwais – Group 3 (PA) Dh300,000 (T) 1,200m, Winner: AF Alwajel, Tadhg O’Shea, Ernst Oertel
8pm: Maiden (TB) Dh80,000 (T) 1,400m, Winner: Nibras Passion, Bernardo Pinheiro, Ismail Mohammed
Company%20Profile
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Company%20Profile
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More on Quran memorisation:
How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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BEETLEJUICE BEETLEJUICE
Starring: Winona Ryder, Michael Keaton, Jenny Ortega
Director: Tim Burton
Rating: 3/5
Greatest of All Time
Starring: Vijay, Sneha, Prashanth, Prabhu Deva, Mohan
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The specs
Engine: 2-litre or 3-litre 4Motion all-wheel-drive Power: 250Nm (2-litre); 340 (3-litre) Torque: 450Nm Transmission: 8-speed automatic Starting price: From Dh212,000 On sale: Now
The Kingfisher Secret
Anonymous, Penguin Books
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The Perfect Couple
Starring: Nicole Kidman, Liev Schreiber, Jack Reynor
Creator: Jenna Lamia
Rating: 3/5
Our Time Has Come
Alyssa Ayres, Oxford University Press
U19 WORLD CUP, WEST INDIES
UAE group fixtures (all in St Kitts)
Saturday 15 January: v Canada
Thursday 20 January: v England
Saturday 22 January: v Bangladesh
UAE squad
Alishan Sharafu (captain), Shival Bawa, Jash Giyanani, Sailles Jaishankar, Nilansh Keswani, Aayan Khan, Punya Mehra, Ali Naseer, Ronak Panoly, Dhruv Parashar, Vinayak Raghavan, Soorya Sathish, Aryansh Sharma, Adithya Shetty, Kai Smith
GREATEST ROYAL RUMBLE CARD
The line-up as it stands for the Greatest Royal Rumble in Saudi Arabia on April 27
50-man Royal Rumble
Universal Championship
Brock Lesnar (champion) v Roman Reigns
Casket match
The Undertaker v Rusev
Intercontinental Championship
Seth Rollins (champion) v The Miz v Finn Balor v Samoa Joe
SmackDown Tag Team Championship
The Bludgeon Brothers v The Usos
Raw Tag Team Championship
Sheamus and Cesaro v Bray Wyatt and Matt Hardy
United States Championship
Jeff Hardy (champion) v Jinder Mahal
Singles match
Triple H v John Cena
To be confirmed
AJ Styles will defend his WWE World Heavyweight title and Cedric Alexander his Cruiserweight Championship, but matches have yet to be announced
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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The Penguin
Starring: Colin Farrell, Cristin Milioti, Rhenzy Feliz
Creator: Lauren LeFranc
Rating: 4/5