Vetnuus | Januarie 2024 4 « BACK TO CONTENTS A new year is like an empty canvas, New Year’s resolutions and all that, but seriously though, maybe 2024 is the best year of your life. What would the test be for the best year of your life? How would you know in retrospect that it was indeed the best? What are your standards or your measurement of ‘best’? I think it is a very personal issue. No two people would consider BEST as the same thing. Oxford has a couple of things to say about of ‘best’ • of the most excellent or desirable type or quality. • to the highest degree; most (used with verbs suggesting a desirable action or state or a successful outcome • that which is the most excellent, outstanding, or desirable • outwit or get the better of (someone) It all sounds so great and rather pink and fluffy. But how does the “tekkie” hit the tar? There are, in my mind, 2 ways of determining the ‘best’ The world around us can be used It will not be difficult to find measures around for the ‘best’. From the tender school-going age and even before, the ‘best’ is found in the performance of people. Who talked at what age, who walked at what age, who outshines who at plays, who is the strongest, fastest, most confident. The rapport cards come along and the child is measured against a set of standards, as well as their peers. Parent encourage their offspring to do better, go further, and aim higher. All of which has its place but how do we determine the balance? The world can be an overwhelming place where only a few can ‘fit’ in and meet the standards of being the best. Praising the few for outstanding achievements can easily exclude masses of great people. The world’s definition is very exclusive, it is aimed at highlighting only a few. The Better way In contrast to this excluding definition, there is another much more inclusive approach to the best. It is much, much harder to determine as it is much more personal. Determining the standard of being the best starts with the recognition of the self. The people around the individual are what first form this awareness. Gentle guiding and sympathetic exploration helps to person to form. The person inside is discovered before the standards of the world are impressed on them. The best person is the person who knows him-/herself the best. A confident, well-formed and balanced person will feel much less threatened by the imposition of the standards of the world. The best ‘best’ comes from within. Nothing can be more true than this statement. A person unsure of himself is easily intimidated by a confident person. Even the biggest extrovert can be intimidated by an introvert. Only you can be the best version of you. From your mitochondrial DNA, you are unique. But the responsibility lies with you to discover what makes you tick. Experience in yourself will help you with this great journey of discovery. My wish is that you spend some time this year discovering new facets of your ‘best’ life. It will take stepping out of the box of comfort and spending some time on this. Maybe a new hobby or travel will unlock a new interest and new horizons. Take a look in this Vetnews at Prof Ilwa-Langa’s opinion piece on veterinary education in South Africa. Very interesting indeed. Also, note the research done on toxic plants and the contribution the readers can make. There is an article on the New Veterinarians;’ graduation ball. Please welcome these new colleagues into your midst. If you are aware of Community Service Vets in your vicinity, reach out to them, they need inclusion into the community. Make them feel welcome. May 2024 be your BEST year yet! Andriette v From the Editor Editor’s notes / Redakteurs notas Comparison is the thief of joy.
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