In ancient Rome, a new calendar was issued by Julius Caesar where the new year began in January. The month’s namesake was Janus, the two-faced god who looked back into the previous year and forwards into the new year.
In the tradition of Janus, since 2020 has “turned the world upside down,” I will defer all resolutions to a later date. Before I enter 2021, I will need to see some terms and conditions.
Since 2020 has witnessed apocalyptic wildfires, the murders of people of color, seditious behaviors concerning the election, and 330,000+ COVID-19 deaths, perhaps a resolution is not the appropriate measure.
So instead of a New Year’s Resolution, I’m going to Celebrate the Old with selected birthdays in 2021.
2021 birthdays and anniversaries that I am going to celebrate
January 9, 1776 — Thomas Paine’s Common Sense is published, advocating independence from Great Britain.
January 10, 1946 — The first meeting of the United Nations occurs in NYC and London.
January 13, 1966 — President Johnson appoints the first African American cabinet member, Robert C. Weaver, to the new Housing and Urban Development department.
January 20, 1961 — President Kennedy is inaugurated. (“Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country.”)
March 1, 1961 — The Peace Corps, a US voluntary program to assist nations in need on the ground, is founded.
March 3, 1931 — The Star-Spangled Banner, written by Francis Scott Key, is officially made the national anthem by Woodrow Wilson.
March 7, 1876 — The telephone is patented by Alexander Graham Bell. (What would we do without our smart phone?!)
March 16, 1751 — James Madison, the “Father of the Constitution,” is born.
May 21, 1881 — The American Red Cross is founded by Clara Barton to provide disaster relief.
June 11, 1776 — A committee made up of Jefferson, Adams, Franklin, Sherman, and Livingston is formed to draft the Declaration of Independence.
June 13, 1966 — The US Supreme Court case Miranda v. Arizona leads to the requirement of the Miranda Rights (“You have the right to remain silent …”).
June 15, 1946 — The Baruch Plan calls for the international control of atomic weapons.
June 26, 1956 — The Federal Highway Act is passed, which provided for our Interstate Highway system modeled after Germany’s Autobahn.
July 4, 1776 — The Declaration of Independence is adopted, one of our founding documents which provides a social contract template for our nation.
July 8, 1776 — The Liberty Bell rings for independence.
August 9, 1936 — African American Jesse Owens wins four medals in the Berlin Olympics, a rebuttal of Hitler’s Aryan race theory of white superiority.
August 20, 1911 — The first telegram is sent around the world — the first “text message” that revolutionized communication.
October 28, 1886 — The Statue of Liberty, a gift from France, is dedicated. It has become the symbol of the US being a melting pot of all nations, stating “give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free.”
December 10, 1901 — The first Nobel Peace Prize is awarded for outstanding contributions to world peace. This year’s recipient is the World Food Program for its work during this COVID-19 worldwide pandemic.
December 15, 1791 — The Bill of Rights is ratified, laying out ten “freedom to and freedom from” amendments to the US Constitution.
2021 — Harvesting the new
But for those who can’t resist thinking about New Year’s Resolutions, you could review what you’ve learned during the pandemic. Your resolutions could be based on:
- What do I keep from the changes I made to cope with the pandemic?
- What do I reclaim from the pre-pandemic time?
- How would I “build back better” if I oversaw my community?
Let’s celebrate the old by singing and living the Robert Burns poem “Auld Lang Syne”:
“Should old acquaintance be forgot, and never brought to mind? Should old acquaintance be forgot, and auld lang syne [days gone by]?
Then let’s harvest new treasures that have revealed themselves during this unusual time that may help us on our new and improved path.
Here’s to celebrating the old and harvesting the new!
–30–