In 1722, Theologian Jonathan Edwards wrote 70 Resolutions for him to accomplish throughout his life. I’ll write a few of them here. 

• Resolved, to live with all my might, while I do live
• Resolved, never to lose one moment of time; but improve it the most profitable way I possibly can
• Resolved to ask myself at the end of every day wherein I could possibly in any respect have done better
• Resolved, never to do anything out of revenge
• Resolved, not only to refrain from dislike, fretfulness and anger in conversation, but to exhibit an air of love, cheerfulness and benignity
• Resolved, that I will live so as I shall wish I had done when I come to die
• Resolved, if ever I shall fall and grow dull, so as to neglect to keep any part of these Resolutions, to repent of all I can remember and come to myself again.  

It’s interesting how people nowadays make resolutions compared to Mr. Edwards in 1722. While Jonathan’s resolutions are quite broad and hard to tangibly apply to everyday life,  people today make their resolutions concrete: going to the gym, making money, studying harder and accomplishing other very tangible goals that will directly benefit their own well-being. And honestly, there’s a lot of value in being specific with these New Year’s Resolutions: it’s a lot easier to stick to a goal of hitting the gym 4 times a week than to “live with all my might, while I do live.” 

However, reading Edward’s resolutions made me realize that the modern day is missing something that those in the 1700s had. I’ve talked with dozens of people to ask about what they want to accomplish during 2025, and not a single one of them including myself resolved to “never do anything out of revenge” or “ask myself at the end of every day wherein I could have done better.” The 21st century is all about me, me, me: get prestige, get rich, get that six pack, get your dream girl. It seems that “self-improvement” requires very little deep contemplation. 

Yet, reading through over 70 of Edward’s resolutions, not a single one of them stemmed from a selfish desire. To me, it seems like he honestly couldn’t care less about the money or dream body. All he resolved to do was to live for the glory of God, be wiser in his relationships, improve his character to love others better, and to embrace all suffering with grace. It’s clear that these resolutions could only be written from a man in deep thought regarding his purpose on this earth and his impact on the people around him. It’s the type of thought that requires someone to just sit in silence and ponder: a silence that is drowned out by the sound of instagram reels in the 21st century.

Where has this selflessness gone in 2025? 

Why has our current culture of prioritizing yourself and “just being you” completely murdered our sense of obligation to the people around us? I think seeing people on social media make their “self improvement” New Year’s Resolutions made me forget that forming meaningful and lifelong friendships with people is what makes life enjoyable. 

I’ve made a lot of mistakes this past year in terms of my relationships. I learned there’s a huge gap in my understanding between caring for someone, and knowing how to maturely demonstrate that care in a way that makes them feel loved. I learned that my favorite people are a gift, and I can’t take them for granted. I learned that I don’t know shit about conflict management, processing emotions, and communicating effectively. In short, I learned there’s a lot for me to work on. And I really want 2025 to be a year for me to learn how to show my friends that I care about them in a way that makes them feel genuinely appreciated. That’ll be my resolution for the year. 

But to end on a high note, something that I learned quite well this past year is gratitude: I’m honestly so thankful for each and every person whose journey has aligned with mine in some way. And I’m happy that no matter where I end up in life, I’ll always have so many memories to make me smile. SO HERE’S TO MAKING MORE!