BY Madan lamsal
The old year has packed its bags and waved goodbye, making way for the new one to sashay in with a flourish. Once again, the calendar on the wall has changed. On this occasion, I feel like expressing my best wishes from the bottom of my heart. It is a tradition, after all. But I am a bit hesitant to wish someone well. Because I always give my good wishes with the purest of heart, but, more often than not, I see the opposite results, and that breaks my heart. It reminds me of the saying “Man proposes, God disposes!”
Suppose I wish you happiness and peace, but then, if you fall ill or a Russia-Ukraine war keeps raging on in your house between husband and wife, what is the point of my wishes? Wouldn’t it be an insult instead if, for example, I wish you prosperity, but the opposite happens? Moreover, if traders raise the prices of goods and the government hikes taxes, you could end up poorer than before! What is the meaning of my best wishes then?
Friends, you may recall my heartfelt New Year's wishes for your happiness and prosperity in past years. But if you have done the maths, you will see those years turned into one long series of unfortunate events. Your share prices have been on a rollercoaster ride to the bottom, leaving you neither laughing nor crying. Meanwhile, your business is on life support. Each month, prices of goods and services went up, turning your dreams into nightmares. You cried. You cursed the government. The government heard your complaints and swooped in like knights in shining armour—or so it seemed. With great fanfare, they cracked down on business people, even throwing some in jail. This may have given you a moment of peace and satisfaction, but the financial system just rolled its eyes. The government's heavy-handed approach disrupted supply chains and sent market prices skyrocketing. So there you have it! By making profiteers suffer, the government inadvertently bestowed upon us the dubious gift of higher prices everywhere. Now that's a sin, don't you think?"
I see that my wishes often have the opposite effect. Last year, I wished happiness to some government officials. As a result, they started taking bribes! They were just trying to fulfil my wish for them to be happy. But how could any government employee be happy without taking bribes? They were happy for a whole year. But in the end, they were arrested by the CIAA. Now tell me whether I should be happy or sad about bestowing on them my good wishes?!
Last year, I also sent a message to some politicians, wishing them a happy new year. But now they are all in jail. Some are in the process of going to jail. I am sure you now know whom I had extended my good wishes to!
I see that my wishes often have the opposite effect. Last year, I wished happiness to some government officials. As a result, they started taking bribes! They were just trying to fulfil my wish for them to be happy. But how could any government employee be happy without taking bribes?
I had also wished happiness to some traders as well. They, too, took the road to happiness in no time. That is, since that time, they have been trying to be super rich overnight and taking many shortcuts for that. They are also all very happy with my good wishes for the time being. But I am worried that they could be booked for fraud any time!
I had also wished some of my journalist friends a happy New Year. They stopped writing and doing investigative journalism and started online news portals from the very next day! But after the business did not work as expected, some 'blackmailing' startups have also started! I cannot say right now what the result of this business will be. But it is assumed that they will continue to work happily!
Over the years, I have wished good luck to many people, including teachers, policemen, doctors and conductors. However, I have noticed that those whom I wished well initially experienced success, but later their happiness turned into misery and sorrow.
Sometimes I wonder if things would have been better if I had instead said, “May the New Year be sad and bad for you!” I think it is easy not to cheat. It is easy not to steal. It is even easier not to take a bribe. You do not have to do anything to be honest and conscientious. But if you do that, happiness and prosperity will run away from you! Do the poor souls feel like doing difficult jobs after I wish them a lot of happiness and prosperity? That is why I am afraid to extend my good wishes to anyone these days!
The thing is, no one is capable enough of making any honest person happy. They say that today, even God's blessings do not work. What power do my wishes have, as an ordinary person? Even if my wishes were to have an effect, you start leaving the path of truth and goodness and start doing untoward activities. You start black marketeering. You start selling poor quality goods. You start evading taxes and rubbing the hands and feet of the politicians. You open an NGO and start working for the benefit of foreigners and against the interests of the nation.
It seems no one can be happy in the current social, economic and political system by taking the straight and narrow path. So, you begin to take short cuts! Don't mind, friends! That is why I did not wish you a Happy New Year this time, in case you all were trying to be happy again!
