A quick reflection: Rosh Hashanah vs. secular New Year

In Western civilizations the last day of December is always an exciting time where people look forward for an unknown new year…

Most people blindly simply celebrate just the fact of watching the change of years on the count down of minutes until midnight. Some start it on drinking and with a big hangover the next day, what a way to start, hum?

In the Traditional Religious Jewish New Year, we pray, pray and pray in awe asking G-d for a good year and there’s no fireworks whatsoever, but the trust in G-d’s ultimate mercy towards our fragile beings.

It’s so interesting that people can endure even the cold in New York to watch a ball drop with millions of other people – celebrating the New Year.

Who of those among the millions last December would know how bad 2008 turned to be in a Global perspective? Now, everyone thinks that in a turn of a magic ball drop everything can turn out different for the better once again…

I really hope things would get better in the long haul for the World – but it takes a lot of effort and it doesn’t happen on the blink of an eye.

I always wished people in general would know that over drinking and acting overly crazy won’t do them any good, but rather causes more harm; of course that many of those drinking probably feel bad about their current transition, therefore they drink.

Why can’t people try to get themselves together and use it as a good excuse to improve themselves?

The bad guys in Dubai cancelled the New Year’s celebrations and fireworks off in solidarity for the “Palestinians cause”…I find it so bizarre that the world finds very plausible.

For most the Jewish world it’s a night like any other – though one has to acknowledge the calendar where one lives.

If most people don’t celebrate the religious Rosh Hashanah – I really wish the world should try to improve itself in 2009…Everything which is good starts from within with self-reflection and prayers.