The percentage of people who keep their New Year’s resolutions is dismal -- only 9% per this research. Part of the reason is that they are usually banal and vague; for example: lose weight, exercise more, and save more. But there is one resolution for the leftists, in particular, that may enable the others to fall into place: they must entertain some diversity of perspectives.

To achieve this, particularly if the goal is to engage in more fellowship, they need to extirpate their judgmental mentality.

A common New Year’s resolution (making most top-ten lists) is to “spend more time with family and friends.” While nauseatingly vapid, one can appreciate the good intentions (though we know where they often lead…). This potential “road to hell,” is paved mostly by leftists who have cut off their more conservative kin.

Indeed, studies find that Republicans have more friends across the political spectrum than do Democrats; furthermore, Republicans make better friends. This is corroborated by numerous studies proving that conservatives (more likely to affiliate with the Republican Party) are much more generous than liberals. Conservatives also tend to be happier, which makes being a friend or supporting family ties more plausible.

Honestly, conservatives are more convivial, which partly explains why they give more to charity and volunteer more. Presuming they even have to resolve to spend more time with family and friends, they are more likely to follow through.

But all is not lost for wayward leftists who are seething, contentious castaways from their roots. Instead of some vague resolution without measurement metrics, to fulfill this common resolution they need to establish the prerequisites. That is, they need to stop demonizing commonsense conservatives as “garbage” and deplorable. That’s just as intellectually lazy as a blabbering word salad about “spending more time with…”

Before resolving to pursue anything else, they need a complete character catharsis. Going from the ridiculous to the sublime, they must elevate their New Year’s resolution, then the mundane variety further downstream will invariably flow into place.

For example, instead of insipid talk of “more this,” or “less that,” they should endeavor to open their minds. Admittedly, they were unable to resist the leftist indoctrination from many of our institutions, so this will be challenging for the weak-willed. In fact, examining one’s radical worldview can be wrought with cognitive dissonance -- there’s a lot of undoing to do. Nevertheless, the discomfort of holding two contrary ideas simultaneously will subside as conservative revelations emerge from the dark recesses of their illiberal minds.

So, rather than paying lip-service to obligatory New Year’s resolutions, the leftists who really long for fellowship must resolve to turn over a new leaf. They must dare to reject their leftist indoctrination. They must dare to expand their intellectual horizons, perhaps discovering how commonsense conservatism, allied with classical liberal enlightenment, has stimulated the better angels of our nature over time. Then, after reaching some modicum of mental equanimity (leftists are mostly nuts, by the way, so friends and family may actually prefer their absence), by New Year’s in 2026 they may be finally be worthy of spending more “quality” time with others.

In the meantime: Happy New Year. Though most conservatives don’t need a particular salutation, for their lasting happiness is not based on instant but fleeting liberal gratification.

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