By Emmanuel Sossou – Features Editor

“Happy new year!” is commonly heard around this time of the year. As the new year begins, we send out our best wishes not only to family and friends but also to strangers. This might be an elderly woman from the convenience store or even that young man from the post office. It’s an introduction and goodbye that people give out of custom or to wish someone well for the months ahead. 

It is also the “new year new me” time, where people mentally commit to a fair number of resolutions with an almost admirable determination to stick to them. From spending more time at the gym, having healthier eating habits or spending less time on social media, the list goes on and on. And yet, most of us fail to keep up with these personal commitments; there are actually a few studies on the reasons behind why. 

Undeniably, there is something appealing and almost refreshing to the closing of one year and the beginning of a new one. It invites us to rebrand ourselves, to be better. 

I remember hearing about one of those resolutions on the radio while driving to the airport with my dad. “2024 is the year of listening”, shouted one of the hosts on the radio. I remember smiling at first, thinking that it was funny coming from a radio channel. My dad, on the other hand, seemed to agree as he nodded, possibly hinting at the suggestion that I should listen to him more. 

As the radio show went on, I kept thinking about what the host had truly meant with that resolution. Looking back on 2023, a call to listen, as in to listen to others, doesn’t sound out of place. It deserves a spot on that never-ending list of resolutions. Amidst the growing challenges of accelerating climate change, the recent events involving Palestine and Israel, the war in Ukraine and every other military conflict or violence claiming innocent lives around the world, the past year has had its fair share of distress. We indeed find ourselves at a time where we need to listen more and be more attentive to the world around us, to each other, to mother nature.
So, as we embark on this new year, armed with all these new resolutions, let’s also consider the importance of not only hearing, but truly listening.