Celebrate or not

 I do not celebrate on New Year's Eve. I honestly don't remember the last time I did. I just don't have the desire to do so. Seems like when Guy Lombardo left us the fun went out of the party. Either that or it was when alcohol left the party. I'm thinking the latter is closest to the truth. Anyone that tells me they drink alcohol for the taste alone is lying. Okay maybe that is too harsh but practicing self-deception is certainly involved with that statement. Everyone drinks for the effect. The only difference being an awareness of that effect. With me, I was all-in as the saying goes today. I always wanted to enjoy the full experience. There was no swirling, sniffing, or tasting going on. Nope, the point was to feel the effect.

 Now I don't mind people that want to celebrate the occasion, to mark the date and join in the revelry. I realize that not everyone doing so is drinking alcohol or perhaps using another stimulant/depressant. They are the people that enjoy crowds. I don't like crowds. I can't give my attention to more than a few individuals at a time. I do prefer that controlled environment. Crowds can lead to problems. And if you are in that crowd, you are guilty by association. How many were investigated recently for being in a crowd? Was everyone one of those individuals guilty? Yes, they were guilty of being in that place. I avoid crowds as much as possible. 

 In my experience crowds will always find something to justify their actions. Seldom does that action conform with my own thoughts or ideas. In years past alcohol was a common excuse. It was also an acceptable excuse, a reasonable explanation. In today's world that will not suffice as an excuse or explanation unless accompanied by an admission. You have to confess to having a disease beyond your control. In that way, it's not your fault. The only accountability required on your part is agreeing to that precept. As a child we used a more direct approach, everyone was doing it! The crowd justified the action. When asked if everyone jumped off the bridge would you do that too? You knew the answer was no but a part of you still justified that action. Perhaps there was a reason for jumping off the bridge. How could you know without trying it? 

 Well, I certainly wish everyone a Happy New Year whether you celebrate it or not. Back in the past when I could use alcohol as an escape, I could tolerate the crowd. I understand that completely. When drinking I could get lost in the world of my friends, or anyone else close by. Every crowd I have been in has been divided and sub-divided in that fashion. Never have I been a part of a crowd that was destructive, angry or causing any real damage. Even when I was in the crowd, I was never a part of it. I tried to be. I quit trying a long time ago. 

“A group experience takes place on a lower level of consciousness than the experience of an individual. This is due to the fact that, when many people gather together to share one common emotion, the total psyche emerging from the group is below the level of the individual psyche. If it is a very large group, the collective psyche will be more like the psyche of an animal, which is the reason why the ethical attitude of large organizations is always doubtful. The psychology of a large crowd inevitably sinks to the level of mob psychology. If, therefore, I have a so-called collective experience as a member of a group, it takes place on a lower level of consciousness than if I had the experience by myself alone.”

― C.G. Jung, The Archetypes and the Collective Unconscious