You look like you just came back from Alaska

Macrocosm - Today's Headlines
Bomber kills at least 96 at Volleyball Game in Pakistan
When I first saw this headline I just thought "oh, another terrorist attack." But I don't want to be numb to tragedy or human suffering just because it happens a lot. I think only by reading about the details of each attack can general terrorism be reduced. In this case, the Pakistan village was vulnerable to attack because it had to use its own militias to defend against terrorists, making it an easier target.

World Ready for a Fresh Start in 2010
This article does a nice job of slowing the flow of 2009 by highlighting defining events:
1. Great Depression II - stock market crash, foreclosures, and unemployment. "2010 will be a year of renewal," says Sarkozy.
2. Obamania - Inauguration of US's first black president
3. Green movement - climate change escalates but so does environmental awareness
For pop culture highlights, I recommend watching The Soup on E! Let's hope we're asking Speidi who? and Jon & Kate who? by the end of this year.

Microcosm - My Head Lines
I have recently begun reading a book called How to Win Friends & Influence People by Dale Carnegie. I've only read the introduction and already I'm convinced that reading it is a good way to start the new year.

Here's a fabulous quote I found in the book, spoken by William James, a professor at Harvard (ew, I know):

Compared to what we ought to be, we are only half awake. We are making use of only a small part of our physical and mental resources. Stating the thing broadly, the human individual thus lives far within his limits. He possesses powers of various sorts which he habitually fails to use.

Typical of a Harvard guy, huh? But I think what he says ties in nicely with the idea behind new year's resolutions: self-improvement. Self-improvement lies in getting closer to reaching your fullest potential, to using the most of your abilities - and not denying that you have limitations but doing everything until you've reached the limit.

So here are my New Year's resolutions, posted for the public to see because the embarrassment of failing to do what I said I would is strong motivation to keep myself on track. I've also found that writing out things you have to do helps you remember what you have to do (great example of obvious management tips that people still don't do).

1. Mind
Yeah, there's so much to do I think I'm gonna need subsections

• Catch up on classic literature, philosophy, and really anything that'll help me have informed, intelligent discussions and broaden my store of wise allusions to famous writers.
• Keep up with current events. Be able to competently explain controversial political issues like health care and... um, immigration? Yeah ok maybe step one is learn what the issues are. Hopefully, making myself blog about macrocosmic events will help me achieve this goal.
  
• Take note of what the students at Yale are doing. Pick up their good habits.
• Discover my intellectual abilities and use all that I have to the fullest.
  

2. Body
Ok years of minimal physical activity and careless eating are catching up to me. So I vow to be more careful of what I eat (I don't think I will ever resort to calorie counting. Resisting the ice cream in the dining halls and late night snacks will be hard enough) and to work out more. Hit the gym by getting up - gulp - in the morning before classes. And maybe take up a sport that's not shopping (for those who dare contest this, I would like to say that making good purchases requires agility, flexibility, and strategy).
And get more sleep!!

3. Spirit
In a surprisingly substantial issue of People magazine, I came across some great tips to achieve greater contentment.

• Unitask. Undo the years of doing everything efficiently and simultaneously. Slow down and take in the details of one thing at a time. Enjoy meals. Focus on texture and color and taste when I eat.
  
• Mix it up. Try something new. Break away from routine. Be bold. Take more risks.
  
• Get closer to friends and family. Rely on others from time to time.
  
• Relax and reflect. Express myself. Which brings me to the next topic...
  

Today I went to my first yoga class at a place called Dahn Yoga. Besides finding out that I have less endurance and flexibility than 50 and 60-year-olds, I also found out that I have a huge problem: I am incapable of truly relaxing, even during sleep.

The yoga instructor was performing an energy check-up on me and she basically figured out my deepest issues just from looking at the way I moved my body. This is what she told me:
1. I am too stressed out. My muscles are too tense and I can't clear my mind. I am burdened by suppressed feelings and nervous about revealing what I really think.
2. I have weak control of my body because I don't use it enough. As Mr. James might say, I'm only using a small part of my physical resources.

Wow. What a way to start out the new year. Naturally I was taken aback by the truth of what she said and when it did sink in how true her diagnosis was, I was crushed. All I could focus on was the "weak control" part. I think losing control is my biggest fear besides, apparently, expressing myself.

But perhaps what the new year is most about is optimism. It's the hope of improvement and progress. It's the idea that you have goals to work toward. That's definitely something to celebrate.