What’s Your Resolution for Society?
Since I was a teenager, I have done some form of New Year’s Resolutions.
When I was 15, I wanted to bench 200 lbs. At 18, I wanted to learn Spanish. Last year, I wanted my website to get a certain number of visitors.
I think aiming for “self-improvement” can be a rewarding and important thing.
Yet, there came a point when I began to think more about “society-improvement” too.
When I sat down to think about what I wanted to accomplish this year, I found that, yes, I have personal goals for 2026, but I also have goals for the groups and spaces around me.
So if you’re using this point in the year to pause, reflect, and plan, I encourage you to think not just about yourself, but about the communities you’re a part of, your neighborhood, your friends and families.
If your neighborhood, city, group, or subculture had a New Year’s resolution, what would it be?
For example, last year, we collected 1500 lbs of food scraps for the compost at our community garden. This year, I think we can collect 2500 lbs. I can’t do it alone, and that’s both the challenge and part of the point.
By all means, set your personal goals for 2026. Read more books. Learn that language. But also ask yourself: What’s one project, one initiative, one commitment that would improve life not just for me, but for the people around me, not just for my generation, but for future generations too?
