New beginnings are always exciting. Anything new in fact promises a lot of exciting things. I remember back in day as a child, I used to eagerly long for the day my parents would buy me and my sister new clothes and shoes for school. And when that day comes, and all the goodies are bought for us, the excitement of trying them all was beyond words. We would try each and every of our purchases several times during the day until the day we finally go to school comes. Dressing up all new during the first day of school brings with it a great feeling of newness and new beginnings. We also give due care to our new purchases until we finally get used to them, start complaining about their supposed defects and start wishing for new purchases.
Whether we are starting a new job, a new relationship, a new marriage or moving into a new house, there is a lot of hope and excitement that emerges within us. We give our best to make sure that our new undertaking is as successful and enjoyable as possible. Although a certain level of fear and uncertainty comes with new beginnings, we tend to focus on the bright side of it all. The challenge is when we get used to what used to be new. Sometime I wish that the new energy and bright hope that comes with something new in life could be sustained for a long time, if not forever.
There is such thing in our culture called ‘weret’. Something is considered as ‘weret’ when it is celebrated, admired and praised only until its newness fades away. My observation is that many of our praise of things is made mainly when the thing is new. Be it a new restaurant, a new volunteer activity or a newly appointed leader, it is only a matter of time before we start uttering words of dissatisfaction and complaint. Our emotions gets the best of us and prevents us from making rational and informed judgments.
Sometimes I think that it is best not to make judgments about anything new and to try to see if the new thing will be able to pass the test of time. As they say, time will tell. With a new job come a set of expectations of the things we will be able to achieve in the job. With a new relationship, we have a set of expectations of how our partner will turn out to be. As we move to a new country, we have a set of expectations of how the country will help us achieve our dream of a better life. And with a new leader, we have a set of expectations of all the positive changes he or she will be able to bring to our country. If we are driven by emotion when faced with new beginnings, we may set our expectations too high. And as we know it, expecting too much can lead to disappointments when faced with the slightest setback. With a new prime minister appointed to our country, our hopes may be high of the positive changes that may come with it. Although change is good and is deserved by all who fought for it, I say it is also good not to rush judgments and opinions and let time show us the true results that will come with the new change.
