8 | JANUARY 20 • 2022 

column
New Year Resolutions that 
Go Beyond Ourselves

B

enjamin Disraeli 
wrote: “I am prepared 
for the worst but 
hope for the best.”
Mel Brooks sang: “Hope 
for the best, expect the 
worst.”
In slightly 
different ways 
and from 
very different 
platforms, 
both the 
statesman and 
the comedian 
identified the same 
precarious mix of optimism 
and pessimism inherent in 
their shared Jewish faith. 
Since one of the foundations 
of Judaism is a trust in God, 
it’s understandable that we 
would find these conflicting 
impulses within ourselves, 
recognizing the challenges of 
adversity while maintaining 
positive beliefs about the 
ultimate outcome. We’ve 
come to expect misfortune 
over the millennia, but we’ve 
also learned to rely on our 
faith to get us through.
This combination of 
discordant attitudes is 
not unique to Jews but is 
characteristic of peoples who 
have suffered subjugation. 
African American poet Maya 
Angelou addressed the same 
apparent contradiction when 
she said, “If I insist on being 
pessimistic, there is always 
tomorrow.” 

As did Irish author 
George Bernard Shaw, who 
observed: “Both optimists 
and pessimists contribute to 
society. The optimist invents 
the aeroplane, the pessimist 
the parachute.”
When a historically 
oppressed group perseveres, 
it’s because that blend of 
optimism, determination and 
hope keeps us going. That’s 
why recent polls showing a 
sizable drop in the number 
of Americans who made a 
New Year’s resolution for 
2022 are so disconcerting. 
A New Year’s resolution is 
a sign of personal optimism, 
reflecting an individual 
commitment to self-
improvement. And even for 
those who are less hopeful 
about future prospects for 
their community, their 
country or their world, a 
resolution to improve an 
aspect of one’s own life 
suggests a belief that it’s 
worth the effort to achieve 
that progress.
But a CBS News poll this 
month shows that only 29 
percent of Americans plan to 
make a New Year’s resolution 
this year, down from the 
43 percent who made that 
commitment at the end of 
2020. A similar survey taken 
by The Economist and YouGov 
demonstrated that those who 
are more optimistic about 
the future are more likely to 

make resolutions. It appears 
that a growing number of 
us simply believe that it 
is no longer necessary to 
demonstrate such resolve — 
even to ourselves.
Even those who rely on 
the Almighty to help us 
overcome difficult obstacles 
also understand that God 
helps those who help 
themselves. So, the lack 
of motivation to make a 
New Year’s resolution may 
indicate a loss not only of 
optimism but a loss of hope 
as well. Most of us are not 
able to eliminate COVID, 
remake the American 
political landscape in a 
manner more to our liking 
or magically resolve long-
festering crises in the 
Middle East and other global 
hot spots. But individual 
initiative and determination 
can be the first steps toward 
broader change. 
Even though we’re already 
several weeks into January, 
even a belated New Years’ 
resolution can signify an 
important step toward the 
type of progress we desire. 
So here’s hoping that at least 
some who have read this far 
will still consider that type 
of personal commitment. 
In addition to the more 
standard promises to lose 
weight, read more, change 
jobs, etc., there are other 
types of outward-facing 

resolutions that can make 
a difference in the lives of 
others, should we care to 
attempt them.
Participating in a 
neighborhood park cleanup 
won’t solve climate change. 
Mentoring an at-risk youth 
won’t eliminate income 
inequality. Writing a small 
check to a worthwhile 
community group won’t 
end homelessness. And 
having coffee with someone 
from the other political 
party won’t heal the intense 
polarization that has infected 
our politics. But such 
individual efforts can add up 
to larger change, and small 
steps forward can make the 
bigger challenges seem a 
little less overwhelming.
For most of the year, we’ll 
spend our time discussing 
problems of national and 
global import. These 
conversations are necessary, 
but they can also make us 
feel somewhat helpless … 
and pessimistic. But a New 
Year’s resolution could make 
a difference in someone else’s 
life — and help restore a 
sense of optimism to ours. 

Dan Schnur teaches political com-

munications at UC Berkeley, USC 

and Pepperdine. He hosts the week-

ly webinar “Politics in the Time of 

Coronavirus” for the Los Angeles 

World Affairs Council & Town Hall. This 

article first appeared in the Jewish 

Journal.

PURELY COMMENTARY

Dan Schnur

Though we’re already several days into January, even a belated 
resolution can signify a step toward the type of progress we desire.

