New year resolution & complication

Free Thinker *

Old wisdom says, take a New Year pledge for good. It is easy to make a New Year promise though difficult to keep it. Still we take resolutions and try to implement as long as we can. At the individual level or at the State level or at the National or even at International level, we try to keep the vow we made at the time of every New Year.

At the global level if a smoker openly declares that he will not smoke to reduce pollution in the world. This is a very noble idea and we should appreciate and encourage such things. Suppose all the smokers of the world take a similar resolution – just think of the possible positive environment effects that we may enjoy in the days to come.

We also know the negative side of such drastic decisions. The cigarette / bidi industries will collapse and millions of people become jobless. So, while taking a resolution we must think of other sides too. Moreover the health sector will also be affected particularly the lungs business.

Another futile resolution is that ‘I will stop drinking’; it may be good for his/her health; the economic consequences are undesirable; for instance the in our state the liquor black marketers will become poorer; the local brewers will become penniless. Liver business – transplant etc - will fail.

Take another case , suddenly after their heavy indulgence on 31, the meat eaters take a pledge that they will stop eating meat; when they stop buying meat, many people will become needy; the poultry and piggery industry will suffer .

Just for Kheini ; we know many bureaucrats and police including top netas enjoy kheini ; they know that their contribution to the economy is not much but still they are very committed and they continue to support the industry.

Even if a few of them give up chewing kheini , the industry may not face closure but certainly it may suffer. Resolutions for not consuming kheini will affect hospital business more(mouth and tongue)than the tobacco industry.

On the eve of this New Year a national leader jokingly told our leaders to have only one spouse. Taking the advice seriously our leaders might have taken a decision by new year day; what will happen to additional spouses and their children? Who will look after them? The side effects of good decisions are not always good. If the leader is a female, where will the husband and children go?

For good if a thief stops doing his business who will feed his family; there is hardly no option; he is specialized in two wheeler lifting, he can’t simply jump to teaching , because he does not have the qualification; forget about qualification where is the job? This is complicated. If he stops lifting bikes who will compensate; viable alternative occupation must be available to him?

Everyone has read the famous story of the economic impact of a car rider becoming a cycle rider; a cyclist don’t buy bike/car; he does not take loans; he does spend on petrol/diesel; he spends nothing in workshops; no insurance required; no washing payment ; no parking charge; minimum expenses on cycle repairing; a cyclist is relatively healthy ; no gyms required ; no yoga class required.

He hardly goes to doctors or hospitals; very little chances of road accidents; so a cyclist is a disaster for the economy. If someone has decided to use cycle as his transport, please reconsider the decision in the national interest.

At the national level if all tea sellers resolve that they will join politics to become Pradhans, Adhyakshas, MLAs, Ministers, CMs, Governors etc ; tea addicts on the roads may collapse and it may also lead to the decline of the industry.

According to an estimate there are about 3 crore chaiwallas in the country. If they change their occupation just imagine the threat perception incurred upon those who are already in this coveted profession called politics.

Prudently as a new year resolution if the bribe givers refrain from giving bribes, just imagine the plight of the bribe takers and their family members within a few months; then they have to either borrow or loot to continue with their high profile living standard as reflected in the necks, buildings and belongings of their love ones.

We don’t want the living standards of such people to fall because a whole lot of economic activities are dependent on them e.g., the goldsmiths, masons , car dealers etc.

All such New Year resolutions may kindly be withdrawn if they are entangled with complications as mentioned above. In a hypothetical situation, if all the citizens resolve and stop committing crimes - the police, lawyers, even judges will become redundant. So, let us seriously think before taking a plunge for pledge.

For 2021, perhaps the most popular New Year resolution is “I will not be the first one to be vaccinated for Covid “. If this resolution is not broken nation-wide the vaccine will expire. Vaccination is completely voluntarily compulsory.