Satisfaction's the name of this game

So it's the beginning of a new year. I was thinking of making a list of resolutions(most of them brought over from 2006 - damn still can't believe it's over!) but decided that doing so would prove futile. While I'm all for setting goals, both attainable and far-fetched, I don't think one should wait for the start of a new year before embarking on them. If you're serious about accomplishing something, why not just start immediately? Making resolutions is more often than not a glorified form of procrastination. The process makes us feel good about ourselves, demanding little by way of actual perseverance or effort - kindda like those pre-exam study timetables I used to spend hours drawing up - while providing the illusion that we are really accomplishing something. After all, what really is so different about the start of a new year? Has anything changed from a week ago? I do understand the need to make a fresh start, to shake ourselves free from the shackles of sloth and idleness, but does the new year really convey some magical property that renders us more likely to do so? If we are unwilling to motivate ourselves, no number of January 1st's will be of any real assistance.

Pondering the above led me to a different if not antithetical thread. That of satisfaction. In the game of life, isn't this one of our main goals? I begin 2007 on a good note, riding on the wave of the great year that was 2006. The question is, as humans with seemingly insatiable wants and desires, are we ever satisfied for long? Indeed, does attaining satisfaction mean that our game, our life, is over? What's there to live for and strive towards if we're content with what we have? Then again, at some point, isn't it good to achieve some semblance of contentment? That may explain why some individuals seek solace in religion in the later part of their lives. It fills a void that may otherwise seem unbearable. I'm 20(well 21 this year but not just yet), and still have my whole life ahead of me, which renders this whole thought process rather premature on my part. However, I am quite certain that a lifetime of contentment is not a life fully lived. Does that mean that life is an endless battle, an interminable fight to secure love/wealth/happiness/influence? Where's the fun in that too?

Strike a balance between the two. A logical, GP essay response. A balance between resting on your laurels and being hungry for more. Easier said than done, and that's presuming that there is a balance in the first place. The former is often inimical to the latter after all.

Ponder a ponder.

On a lighter note, look out for my next update, something a lot fluffier than this one! It's been 3 months since I last posted my I-Pod top 20, and there have been some interesting changes! Stay tuned for the chart and of course the commentary...