It is fitting that my first entry is about New Year's Resolutions, as this blog is mine! However, this question took an interesting turn, as I hope will often be the case.
We all know we hope to use the 365 days ahead of us to create better, more fit people out of the unmotivated, tired putty that is last year's body. The motivation dwindles about thirty days later, and we rarely follow through, nothing new.
What I learned today is one theory of how this tradition arose in the U.S. According to Isidor Thorner, a sociologist published in the Oxford Journal, the tradition stems from our Protestant heritage. He claims that in the 18th century the Methodist church popularized a tradition of dedicating New Year's Eve to meditating on living a more spiritual life. You can read more on this here.
Happy New Year!
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