2019 Resolutions

SARNGADHARAN NAMBIAR -

Is it the acme of foolishness to resolve not to make any New Year resolutions and still make a few, and find the same old excuses to break them? Not necessarily. But the whole exercise of making or demolishing resolutions enables one to know oneself warts and all. And we can surely sense a flash of innocence when a guy tweets his resolution: ‘Will never go for that 21st cup of caffé mocha on a Sunday, however strong the urge,’ or ‘A strict NO to junk food while hosting a nutritionist.’

Joke aside, New Year offers everyone an opportunity to start afresh, allowing them to leave frustrations and failures behind and move on in life with greater optimism and determination to excel. And, in these digitally obsessed times, some tech resolutions to ring in the New Year aren’t entirely out of place.

Globally, there is an increasingly disturbing feeling that digital technology is taking us for a ride, and we are slowly but surely getting foolishly addicted to it. New Year resolutions aimed at releasing oneself from the clutches of unhealthy digital influences are significant today than ever.

Reducing the time spent on social media and smart phones over worthless pursuits feature among the top digital New Year resolutions. But the flip side is the stunning ease with which one can break these resolutions and still feel not guilty.

However, we aren’t yet humanoids, and we still go about our lives in the non-digital way, at times. As such, we still can make a few traditional New Year resolutions that if honoured sincerely can make this world a better place for not just us but the coming generations as well.

NO TO PLASTIC

A commitment to use fewer plastics can qualify to be one of the best New Year resolutions we can make. When we look at the Sultanate, the plastic menace is quite worrisome. A staggering 21 per cent of the solid waste in the Sultanate is made up of plastics. The shoppers here use some 40 million plastic bags annually. Also there is a significant presence of plastic garbage on Oman’s beaches and in its seas. According to ESO, the rate of plastic usage in the Sultanate sometimes exceeds the world average.

Thus, a ‘No To Plastic’ New Year resolution by the people of Oman could be a game changer. Oman’s Ministry of Environment and Climate Affairs has already worked out a regulatory framework to ban the use of plastic bags and encourage reusable or biodegradable bags, which is awaiting approval for implementation. Notably, the country has had its first installation of sea bins this year.

RESPONSIBLE TOURIST

On the tourism front, the Sultanate has advanced rapidly, and it is fast becoming a much sought after exotic tourism destination offering unique travel experiences to visitors from across the world. In this context, every visitor coming to the Sultanate can make a New Year resolution to be a highly responsible tourist, and ensure that their touristic pursuits create the least negative social, economic and environmental impacts.

Heralding a new era of inclusive growth, the Sultanate is seeing the emergence of social enterprises that generate social and environmental benefits along with business profit. Several organisations in Oman including the Knowledge Oman, National Business Centre and others have been working to create an enabling environment for social entrepreneurs in the country. If young entrepreneurs in the Sultanate make a resolve to establish more social enterprises, wouldn’t it be the best way to welcome 2019, and ignite hopes for a better tomorrow?

RENEWABLE ENERGY

Another area where the Sultanate can achieve amazing success in the coming year is renewable energy. It holds immense potential in the country’s quest for economic diversification and generating sustainable jobs for its educated youth.

Beyond government agencies, a good number of New Year resolutions by private firms and builders to encourage the production and use of renewable energy would go a long way in enhancing the global image of the Sultanate in the comity of nations.

Let’s hope these New Year resolutions are made not to be dropped midway, but to be followed up in full earnest. Interestingly, there aren’t any convenient excuses to break these resolutions either.