Next week I’ll experience my third New Year’s Day here in
Hyderabad. It’s amazing how quickly time
passes. I’ve become such a confirmed
Hyderabadi that I can even contemplate the possibility of staying up with
friends celebrating New Year’s Eve and making it until breakfast is served at 4
am. (I’m not sure that I’ll actually
achieve it, but at least I can contemplate it!)
As we prepare to usher in 2013, it seems as though the world
is drowning in bad news. Horrific crimes
in the U.S. and in India create a pervasive sense of insecurity and highlight
the fact that man is capable of unspeakable evil as well as of good. Discussion of the U.S. economy is focused on
the threats of debt and rising inequality, while in India growth has moderated
and power woes have intensified. Turmoil
continues to afflict many parts of the world, with the Central African Republic
presenting the latest crisis. There are
plenty of reasons to engage in negative thinking.
In this context, the resolution I am making for the New Year
is to think and act positively. By that,
I don’t mean ignoring the negative, but refusing to let it immobilize me. As an individual, it is hard to feel powerful
in the face of bad news, but by acting positively, one fosters hope and offers
encouragement. And concerted positive
action makes change possible. Indians
and Americans both share this experience; the civil rights movement in the U.S.
and the independence movement in India were two of the greatest examples of peaceful
citizen activism of the 20th century.
What is true about momentous social events is also true on a
personal level. If things go wrong in
the office, I remind myself that I love my job, and the minor obstacles that
arise don’t get me down. I’m not
perfect, and there are times I let negative emotions affect me, causing me to
behave in ways I’m not proud of and affecting both my own happiness and the
enjoyment of others. For example, it
happens sometimes when I make a couple of really bad shots on the golf
course. If I get mad at myself and think
negatively, I start playing worse, I become much worse company for my playing
partners, and I stop enjoying myself. If
instead I take the bad shots in my stride, I generally recover my usual
standard of play and I enjoy the game.
It’s a long way to go from my golf game to the mobilization
of citizens to fight violence against women, but in both cases, despair is not
helpful. Envisioning a more positive
future provides the energy to make it happen.
And you never know how big a difference your individual decision might
make. A recent editorial
column by Nicholas Kristof described how a casual thought of Ted Turner’s
transformed millions of lives. Read it
and it’ll make you smile—a great way to start 2013.
Happy New Year!
