Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-01-01
KEEPING MENTALLY FIT
BY JOSEPH JASTRoW.

70 make resolutions, and on what de-
ponds the keeping of them.
Perhaps a few hundred thousand
people resolved to keep a diary.
Examine these at the end of 1880, and
January shows q brilliant record, espe-
cially the first half; February is a
shorter month and doesn't come out
such a bad second; March slumps, and
by May or June, at the latest, the sur
wing diaries are reduced to a trickle
Of the original stream.
why? Because the emotional warmth
10 keep the fire going in respect to a
diary isn't very authentic; you have to
use the bellows and that becomes tire
some. That curve of diminishing
entries in diaries is typical of the emo
tional course, beginning with high in
nammatory Zest and alas! so quickly
coollng TO a lukewarm interest Keep
ing a diary doesn't mean enough to
you.
Resolution day deals as much with
breaking habits as with making them.
ana there isn't quite so much difference
between them. Whether I resolve TO
break on the habit Of getting my desk
and papers into a mess or resolve to
keep them in better order Is only a
matter OF expression, in which not even
my secretary would be interested. Yet
even these fairly objective habits, i'm
porCant as they are, don't 60 to the
heart or focus of the matter, which
Is always that Of securing an emotional
warmth. a caring enough about it, Civ
ing 1t high enough place in its gen.
eral plan of behavior, to induce the
effort; and that means effort after
effort, to do the right thing. avoid the
wrong, and feed the fires by constant
Stoking.
SO. the really deadly habit" If YOU
want to call it such, Is this of letting
our emotions cool. How will you pre-
vent 1t? BY Immediately or promptly
drawing them into action. If every
time you have q helpful emotion, q
worth while zest, q bit of a thrill, you
let 1t change your attitude and be-
havior, you needn't make any reSolu-
tons; your nervous system and your
mental and moral system will do II
for you.
William James makes the point in
regard to emotions aroused by music
THE remedy would be never to suf-
Ter oneself TO have an emotion at q
concert without expressing it after
ward in some active way. Let the ex-
preston be the least thing in the world
speaking genially to ones aunt. OF
giving up ones seat in a horse car II
| nothing more heroic offerS-but let IL
not fail to take place"
Thus resolutions really have some
value; for we form general habits as
well as special ones; and the habit OF
prime value is that OF making an effort
| regularly. Try at something; keep ur
the effort, habit; and you have some.
thing to fall back on, not at the be.
ginning of the year only but through.
out the year.
People who keep resolutions are thos,
who have maintained the habit OF
making an effort. They can apply
that general habit to support AMI
| specific habit; but they may be the
very ones who have least need of max.
| ing resolutions. We are so inevitably
absorbed in the daily routine that Il
is worth while to take stock and get {
general perspective of the directions II
which we are wasting effort, failing Il
making the right efforts, consider Wha
Is worth making an effort for In tina
case one might record: BE it re.
solved that I need not make New
Year resolutions"
Copyright, lsS0)