Come January 1st everyone thinks their lives are going to change for the better. How many of us make promises? How many of us take stands? How many of us announce that next year is the one in which we will do better, try harder and achieve? New year’s resolutions? New year’s remonstrations!

This year I am going to be more positive. However, it’s only been a few hours into the New Year and here I am having failed miserably. I’m already moaning about the futility of making a new year’s resolution and bemoaning Brits nationwide for making them. Recently a BBC website journalist posted their new year’s resolutions on the H2g2 page (http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/brunel/A30303488). Wish number five is: “Get rid of gloomy thoughts/banish fear and hate from my heart/be a good friend to many people”. Pah! Impossible. There is no such thing as a fixed cure to for banishing hate and fear from ones heart, it is a matter of progression. The clock won’t just strike twelve and the all the hate and fear disappears forever. Please be a little more realistic with your goals! The sentiment is nice, but the inevitable failure will just leave you gloomier than ever before.

Look around the internet, dig a little deeper. Cue more resolutions. In flood the usual suspects: “spend more time at home and less time at work”, “Lose weight” etc. What does this say about the British mentality! Are we all so discontent with ourselves? Are we all so selfish that our resolutions can only be restricted to improving our own lives? I look abroad, more prevalent are the messages promoting peace to the world and a year of good fortune. Have we got our new year’s heads screwed on right? Let’s be a little more globally concerned!