As the year 2008 recedes to its end, it is perhaps time to think over the passing year. From the personal point of view, many people may have suffered economically; and, a few – as usual – will have gained, in this most turbulent year, financially speaking. For some, they may have achieved nothing, and their lives may not have quite progressed in any meaningful way forward.

It is, perhaps, the time to think about the year 2008, with questions like, ‘Where did I go wrong?’ And: ‘What mistakes did I do?’ “Who did I oppress?’ And: ‘What changes do I need to do’? ‘Who did I unjustly hurt?’

Was the year 2008 a fulfilling and meaningful year? Was I, generally speaking, happy or unhappy in this dying year? And, if the answer is the latter, then why? Has my heart and mind become deeper and gained new insights about myself and my personal circumstances around me? Have I learned anything significant with respect to my family, my friends, my work and my immediate living circumstances? And, perhaps, for some, they may have learned absolutely nothing new about themselves.

Am I wiser? Or, am I exactly the same?

Do I have a studied, thought out plan for my life?

Or am I living like a jelly fish in the ocean, going wherever the waves of my life take me?

These questions need time, seriousness and solitude to think about: brutal honesty is needed, as one has to discard self-delusions as one tries to improve oneself. After all, aren’t we all supposed to be improving and refining our ideas, loyalty, morality, patriotism, discipline and humanity? Or maybe you are too busy to think on questions such as these. Doesn’t being a human being, means that we have to try to improve one’s self, mind and heart?

For too many, we’re too busy working in the day, and in the evenings, too busy staying out late at night with your wonderful friends.

Maybe so, but friends are fickle beings – so, don’t rely too much on them.  Friends and the late dinners and the parties will all come and vanish – but you will still be with yourself.

For some of us, we are too busy avoiding our own selves!

How odd, we’ll do anything, undertake any distraction just to avoid ourselves!

And, more importantly, Time is treacherous if you don’t treat it well! For, if you ignore it, and if you ignore yourself, you’ll soon find that you’re getting rapidly older, more anxious, more self-doubting, unsteady and that much more insecure. And furthermore, you will not be one bit wiser.

And where can happiness come from, if not from the sense of certainty of one’s mind, beliefs and principles?

It is odd, but sadly typical, that as the year ends, people tend to celebrate the night far more than they give themselves time to reflect on themselves. It is also odd, that people ‘celebrate’ the end of the year, but what exactly are they ‘celebrating’ for? People passionately ‘celebrate’ even though they haven’t given much thought to what they have done in the ending year, and so I find myself watching people joyously applauding themselves for the great achievement of achieving nothing!

So many people will at this time of the ending year, buy expensive gifts that nobody will value; we get dressed in our best clothes; women will get seriously busy with their hair and make up – because these things are supremely momentous, critically important things to do; people will drink; eat a little bit too much; be merry; we will have the usual pointless, stupid conversations that is overflowing with empty boasts and lies, that will be rapidly forgotten within hours; you see people putting on their most expensive, luxurious Hypocrisy Masks, embracing other people with such interest and care, and yet, these are the same people whom they were just savagely insulting a few moments ago.

And yet, my God, we seem utterly determined to avoid that most important person: ourselves!

So, I simply end by saying this: remember that our minds also need nutrition, and that emotional nutrition cannot ever be received by simply having party after party with our so-called wonderful ‘friends’ – especially as this troubled year of 2008 yawns itself to death.

Ayad Izzet Gharbawi