New year's eve

New year's eve, and I'm sitting in front of my computer doing some thinking. Most of the world's population is out and about or has plans to be out this evening. Most of those will become so drunk that they wont even remember midnight tonight. Most of them will wake up tomorrow with a headache, some wont wake up at all. People are out having the biggest party of the year, the biggest party because its world wide. There are a few, like me and my family who will spend the evening at home, probably not even staying up until midnight, the biggest change for us being that the date has changes and new things are starting up again.

What I want to know is; what is the point of celebrating the new year? Why do people make such a big fuss about seeing in the new year? If you told me it was just an excuse to have a ginormous party I would believe you. People are willing to go out and risk their lives and the lives of other innocent people because they're driving drunk home from the last party of the year. I can understand wanting to have a joll, but why must people be so irresponsible about it?

I'm sure that the road death toll increases even more in the early hours of January than it does through December. Even though December has Christmas as its major party, which really is huge, its not everyone. There are many religions which do not believe in Christmas, meaning that the followers of those religions have much less of a Christmas party, and many people who do believe in Christmas are much more conservative than those going out partying.

Although I suppose, if you're not going to go mad on Christmas you're less likely to go all out on New Years. Unfortunately, I know there are people who will tone down Christmas, saying its a time for family, but will go wild on new years with their friends. Which means, that everybody who is willing to party at all, will take things up a notch tonight, and be willing to go wild.

If there are so many people who will go wild, that the cops have to extra careful in certain areas, surely they should apply some reason to what they are doing? It seems to me, that on New Year's eve, the entire world forgets to think rationally, and allows for the biggest consumption of alcohol in one evening, world wide, that I can possibly think of. I don't have the data but it makes sense.

So why do people do it? What's so special about the new year? We aren't more mature, We aren't going to have our pasts wiped away, sure we make resolutions, but honestly, we can do that any time. So why start now?