Please make this resolution

I don’t know why it is that, in much of the western world, the end of the calendar year has become a time when we are all supposed to make a resolution or two, the purpose of which is, I guess, to make us better people somehow. I mean, why the New Year? Why not make resolutions on March 12th or August the 21st? Why not at the Spring Equinox? Like so many things, this process of resolution-making has become ritualized. And like so many rituals, it has become meaningless over time. Something done, but not taken too seriously.

And what is a resolution, anyway? Is it not, quite simply, a promise to myself? A commitment I make to the primary person in my life – me? Interesting then, that so many resolutions get set aside. That we make a promise to ourselves, and then fail to keep it. It seems we have an easier job making commitments to others, and keeping them, than we do in keeping the commitments we make to ourselves. Is it because self is less important than other – or is it that the presence of other, makes us, somehow, respect the commitment? Is it because we don’t want to disappoint other, but don’t mind disappointing self? Or that other, quite simply, serves as a constant reminder? Anyway, all this is really just a lead-up to a commitment I would like us all to make. (You knew there was a point to this, didn’t you?)

CYC-NET needs your help. We have enough financial support to make it to the spring. After that, we have no more commitments for funding. So, we need your help. There are over 1250 of us who are signed up to the discussion list – and a similar number (1250 a day) who visit our website. We need for you – each of you – to make a resolution to help keep CYC-Net alive (if you like it, believe in it). To keep it alive, we need $15,000 US a year. Now, if we all gave 20 dollars we would be in great shape. But we know that is not possible for everyone, especially in some of the countries which use CYC-NET. And we don’t believe that CYC-NET should just be supported by the individual subscriber. In fact, we would prefer for it to always be free to the individual – that ensures universal accessibility.

Recently, a few individual programs and colleges have begun to support us. Some colleges in Alberta, for example, are sending in a fixed amount for every student they have (they see CYC-NET as a resource for their students); a few programs have sent us a few hundred dollars (because they use CYC-NET as a resource for their staff), and some individuals have sent individual contributions (because they think it is as valuable as a journal subscription).

For our part, as from 1 January 2003, CYC-NET has committed an additional budget adding 70% to our former staffing time, which will make CYC-NET a more responsive and better resourced service.

So, how about making a resolution to ensuring that CYC-NET stays alive (and growing – those who visit the web site regularly know that the site has new additions and features every day!). Make a contribution, get your program to make a contribution, ensure that your educational program supports CYC-NET. Help us out here. Do it now. Not tomorrow. It can be as easy as mailing a check, or choosing another preferred method of payment. You can find information on this site about how to make a contribution.

And, by the way, when you make those other promises to yourself this year – make them reasonable – set yourself up for success, not the alternative.

Thom