DRAINS around the house are whitewashed, walls given a new coat of paint, repairs and renovations done and clutter cleared in and around the house.
It is a tradition to welcome the New Year by giving our homes a new and clean outlook. But equally, if not more important, is to cleanse our lives for the coming New Year.
We need to spring-clean our hearts. Let old things pass and the new year will bring a new and wonderful beginning.
Everything around us goes through a transformation, but we remain the same year after year.
The elements of hatred, jealousy, animosity, bitterness, bias, prejudice and unforgivingness still clutter our hearts and lives. It is still present in the corner of our hearts, and this clutter has to be removed.
Differences in opinions will certainly arise in our interactions as by nature, we are all born to be different. However, to err is human, to forgive is divine. So, forgive those who have wronged you and let your sulks become smiles.
It would be better to forget the past and start anew, because it is better to bury the hatchet than bury yourself in bitterness.
Your stress level will go down by 50 per cent if you drop a grudge against someone. Forgiving people is therapeutic and good for your mental health.
Refrain from gossip and unhealthy chatter, for it does so much damage and ruins relationships. Think good, do good, speak good and be good. Life is for laughing, loving and living. If you are blessed with good health, then that should be a passport to a really enriching and rewarding life.
Celebrate life and count your blessings and make the most of it.
Life is fragile and tragedy has been a humbling reminder of how ephemeral life is and how useless petty conflicts can be. Learn to accept differences and do not dwell on sensitivities and provocation.
If there is anything better than charity, fasting and prayer, it is keeping peace and good relations among one another as quarrels and bad feelings destroy each other. Learn to accept the unchangeable and change the changeable.
"Happiness is the meaning and the purpose of life, the whole aim and end of human existence." -- Aristotle
Samuel Yesuiah, Seremban, Negri Sembilan New Straits Times Opinion Letters to the editor 31/12/2013