Values over Resolutions: A personal Reflection
A couple of weeks ago, as we returned to campus after winter break, I felt a strange mix of emotions. I arrived carrying a suitcase filled with warm winter clothes, new room decor, and flavors from home. But I also carried the weight of New Year’s resolutions. It was that time of year.
As we dive into 2026, many people, myself included, have resolutions that read like a shopping list: working out every day, sleeping by eleven every night, deleting Instagram, writing a weekly letter to Grandma – personal goals, long-term wishes, and dreams. Some of those resolutions have already faded. Others still linger in the back of my mind, like an RBC hunger for friendship, discovery, love, conversations, photographs, and endless confetti. Only recently have I realized how privileged I am to have the space to make such wishes.
Because, while I’m making vision boards, the world around us is in chaos. That’s the reality of 2026: tomorrow is as hard to predict as yesterday is to understand. Humanity seems to be stumbling from one global crisis to the next, entangled in politics, ethics, and pop culture. In times like these, should we even be making New Year’s resolutions, with the future so uncertain? RBC, as a microcosm, is where I first confronted this question. Not everyone’s priority in 2026 is to delete Instagram.
But even then, my peers and I returned to this small corner of the world full of hope. While not everyone has resolutions, and many are burdened by worries about the state of the world, I can feel the excitement in our community. Another year, another chance to make an impact – no matter how small. Another opportunity to grow, to nurture the people around us, and to bring a little hope from Freiburg back to our homes. The RBC version of a New Year’s resolution may not be a checklist, but a value – something that doesn’t fade after a month, but serves as a foundation to build on.
I’ve realized that, even as an individual apart from my community, I want to live by values rather than resolutions. 2026 will be my only complete RBC calendar year. Why would I limit myself with a list of expectations? One thing Term 1 taught me is to let life bring surprises. Not to try to predict everything. It’s the random encounters in Mensa that lead to the most valuable conversations, the opportunities I take that push me out of my comfort zone, and the times I get lost in the woods that allow me to explore. New Year’s resolutions may be tempting, but I don’t want them to predetermine my year – personally, as an RBC student, or as a citizen of the world.
Life at RBC isn’t a predictable sequence of days. It’s a fabric, patched together by unpredictable moments. So, while it’s scary, may we embrace 2026 in all its uncertainty. May we view it as full of potential, holding on to our values rather than rigid resolutions. And may we make it good.
