Here we are. The first hours of a new year, a new decade, and a new opportunity. It is a time for reflection and a time for commitments. A New Year gives us a chance to start anew and look forward. It gives us a chance to reflect on what we want to do differently this year and how we can better our worlds. The New Year is the place where we have an opportunity to set goals and do our best to achieve them before the next new year. Sure I could quit smoking cigarettes. I could vow to exercise more. I could promise myself that I will quit cursing so much or that I will learn to dance finally. All noble affairs and worthy of a resolution, but not for me. I am looking to a much bigger picture. A lofty ambition. A feat so large that only a resolution set forth on a new year of a new decade, in a newer century would be worthy of embracing its magnitude. What is it? What could be so massive? What is there that is worthy of such fanfare?

My resolution is simple. Are you ready? Here it is:

I WILL UNDERSTAND.

That is right. I vow to do a better job of understanding. Understanding the world I live in and the people who make up my life. I will attempt to grasp the concepts of the world that I often look past in haste and confusion. I will find meaning in those things that seem to make no sense. I will look to pass less judgement on those around me before truly exploring their ideas and methods of deduction in which they base their lives. I will look for the reasonableness of a situation and try to better understand not just why I agree or disagree with a particular situation, but what beliefs and traditions may have went into the development of these ideas. I will look to advance my knowledge on subjects I am unfamiliar with and become more of an expert in areas that confound me at times. I will accept facts as facts and explore areas that are undefined to give them real meaning and response. I will use the power of comprehension to examine the needs of the world I live in and learn more clearly how my actions impact those I come in contact with. I will attempt to find the significance in things and ask questions when I do not understand. I will look to be more sympathetic in my communications and learn to tolerate those I disagree with more easily by looking to understand their viewpoints. I look the the New year as one where I will make a concerted effort to better comprehend the people, places, and things that appear in my daily walk of life. 

See. I told you it was big. "To understand" seems simple enough, but when we think of all of the things we DON"T understand then we can begin to see what an accomplishment this could be. I believe if we all looked to better understand one another we would find avenues of commonality in which we could all thrive and maybe some of the pain and hurt feelings of the past would begin to subside. Maybe we would find ways of working more closely and effectively if we took the time to simply understand the people we interact with in our lives, the things that confound us, and the histories that have gotten us to this point. When you are attempting to understand the world, it is imperative to put aside your instinct to judge and condemn. One cannot truly understand something unless thy open their heart and mind to the possibility of really grasping ALL concepts of this crazy world. No one is saying that you have to agree with everything and everyone. God knows I won't be doing that. But if I can take the time to understand more clearly all aspects of the world and take in the thoughts, ideas, and actions that go into it, then I will at least be making more informed and well-thought decisions.

Yes. This year I WILL UNDERSTAND. Plain and simple, but as deep as the ocean and expansive as the Milky Way. A lesson in understanding is around every corner, in every communication, and in the face of our fellow man. This is my resolution. As I enter into a halfway house on January 5th, believe that my New year is not going to go as I had hoped, and that is okay. I will survive and I will make it. I always do. But in the process, I will grasp, interpret, reason, and show sympathy for the world I live in. I believe through working on understanding that I can change the world. I told you it was a lofty ambition, but the New Year is upon me and I am up for the challenge.

Happy New Year to you and yours from me and mine. May we meet for a moment of real understanding.