Happy New Year...

After the afore mentioned New Year's vacuum taking place at 00:05 on January first, an even bigger desillusion takes hold during the rest of that day. Slightly hung over we drag ourselves to the breakfast table to sip coffee. On telly the most traditional orchestra in the world treats us to Strauss and more Strauss during its annual New Year's Concert. They are a conservative bunch as almost the entire orchestra consists of men. Austrian men. Need I say more?

As we slowly feel life entering our bodies we crawl to the shower to make sure we don't miss the ski jumping broadcasted from Southern Germany. I am always amazed about the participating Japanese skiers. Where would they practice I wonder. As the amazement and entertainment is shortlived, after all, they all do the same trick, internet makes it possible to find out what happened in other places in the world during New Year's Eve.

The firework displays in Sydney, Hongkong, London and New York were very pretty. Really very nice. However, the euphoric feeling taking hold on New Year's Eve evaporates quickly when reading the other headlines. Some people in the Netherlands got firecrackers put in their letterbox, they caught fire and their house burned down to the ground. They too wished one another a happy New Year. Dozens more have lost their cars to fire. As in Dutchland fireworks are for sale and people can light them themselves, every year there are children and teenagers who lose eyes and hands. Some partygoers lose their lives.

The first twelve hours of the New Year hardly seem to give reason to be happy. Nevertheless people cross the country to visit family to wish them a happy New Year knowing that for others 2010 has a horrific start. In the course of the day the festive atmosphere disappears completely as things go from bad to worse, or perhaps, return to normal. Ninety-three people are blown up in Pakistan during a volleyball match.

And then, on January second, Happy New Year is no more than an illustion, a dream we briefly had for the last six hours of 2009. Europe's newspapers speak of the attempt to kill the Danish cartoonist Kurt Westergaard, the death of three girls in France due to a fire, a landslide in Brazil killing 53 and the Somali pirates striking again, this time capturing a British ship with an Eastern European crew.

Not much Happy New Year if you ask me. Perhaps we shouldn't think too much about these tragic events, especially not during the first days of the New Year. I just cannot escape the idea that all these people and their relatives said Happy New Year to each other. They too had expectations and hopes for the New Year. Expectations and hopes that came crashing down hours or even minutes after they were shared with close friends and family members. Sometimes that is unavoidable I know. Not everyone has reason to celebrate because people are sick, poor, living in a warzone, mourning, you name it. But what if it can be avoided.

Would it be possible to at least not hurt each other? No random killing, destruction of property or deprivation of lives, resources, freedom or rights for a few days every year. Would it be possible not to destroy each other's hopes and expectations for the New Year so that Happy New Year becomes at least one real day rather than one imaginary hour.