The curtain is about to drop on 2016.  But as the clock strikes midnight on Saturday, we will greet the New Year with the enthusiasm and optimism which every New Year brings.  Many cherish these days with family and friends but there are others who at this time of the year feel lonely, depressed and abandoned.  The number of these is unfortunately growing, with inmates residing behind bars, patients staring at the ceiling of a ward waiting to undergo or just having undergone surgery and coloured persons currently residing on our island due to war or social tensions in their homeland, are the first to come to my mind while writing this piece at the small hours on Christmas.  Of course, there are others in the same situation or similar. People residing in old peoples' homes, particularly those who for one reason or another have no relatives to share the festive season with, even if for as little as a couple of hours, also fall in this category.  I am sure you can mention others who are facing solitude.   

Luckily Caritas (Malta) has identified the issue and last year provided Christmas lunch to around 50 persons facing such distressing situations.  This year the number of persons in the same situations has increased substantially and has reached more than 350 persons.  Caritas (Malta) has not only identified the issue but has taken concrete steps to address this sad situation.  Although the event is highly commendable and Caritas (Malta) should be credited for their efforts an in-depth analysis and a strategy to combat this phenomenon which is growing in a society that, until a couple of decades ago, was tightly knit is required.   

The reasons for this situation could be many, but nothing justifies such misery within our society.  Everyone, in different degrees, acknowledges that our small society has gone, and is still going, through many socio-economic reforms, but it is increasingly evident that measures to adequately address issues of this nature failed to find their way to the national agenda; hence, more are pushed to the periphery suffering loneliness. 

The glittering environment which has grabbed the imagination of societies, including ours, has blinded many of us to the real problems which people from different streams of society have to face in solitude. Throwing cash at such problems will not alleviate the hardships.

The tenderness and aura which Christmas begets with the arrival of baby Jesus takes a different twist on New Year's Eve, with all-night partying to usher the New Year in.  On New Year's Eve, some drink to remember the good things that befell them during the year; others to forget.  In whichever case, moderation in the consumption of alcohol is always recommended.   Drink-driving should not be considered as an option to return home irrespective of the driving skills and ability one may think s/he possesses.  A couple of euros for a taxi fare will save a tipsy person's life, and possibly that of others, and the heartache of family members and friends.   A near miss should not make one think that s/he can take another chance.  So risks and chances with one's own life should not be considered.  If one had to picture, even if for a short while, the trauma that people suffering from serious illnesses have to face, I am certain that many would decide they'd rather walk home if not in a position to drive.  

But enough on this. 

It's that time of year when, after days of overabundance of food consumption and excess alcohol intake, many turn their attention to self-improvement with New Year resolutions. This is time of year when many make New Year resolutions, and commit themselves to do things differently.  People find that a new year is a fitting cut-off date and very appropriate to start afresh, dropping old lifestyles and habits while taking on new challenges.  Whether people stick to their goals for at least a week, a month, six months or longer is a completely different case!

It must be hard to keep up the enthusiasm and commitment for days, weeks and even months after the confetti are sprayed in the air on the stroke of midnight on New Year's Eve.  But it's not impossible either, unless one wants results yesterday. One can succeed if targets are not expected overnight. The most common resolutions revolve around health issues, mostly relating to alcohol intake and smoking, obesity and the lack of exercise.

But then there are other resolutions which one can take up, even if perhaps these may need more effort to keep. The New Year stands before us like a fresh chapter in a book.  What will you write for the next chapter of your life?  It's entirely up to you. Take the first step to make sure that it's a good chapter by setting New Year's resolutions.  Albert Einstein said: "if you want to live a happy life, tie it to a goal not to people or objects".

I take this opportunity to wish you and your loved ones a healthy and prosperous New Year.   

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