Photo-Illustration: by The Cut; Photos: Getty Images Why are we so skeptical of the things right in front of us? “Turns Out It’s Pretty Good” is a series that examines the path from resisting the well-known to wholeheartedly endorsing it.
But near the end of December, during one of the hours-long phone calls that have become a routine part of my pandemic social life, a friend asked what my New Year’s resolutions are for 2021. Perhaps she could hear my eye roll through the phone because before I even responded, she chided me. “Oh, come on. Don’t be so cynical,” she said. “They’re fun. You should just try writing some.
Like me, you may be surprised to find out that New Year’s resolutions are not a modern concept. There is evidence dating back to the ancient Babylonians, 4,000 years ago, of people using the new cycle of the calendar as an opportunity to make declarations of self-betterment and change. Something about the human mind, it seems, cannot resist the temptation of a fresh start.
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