The latter might describe my friends. I called Friend no. 1 with a cheery “Happy new year”. “Ya, ok” she replied.

Illustration/Uday Mohite

Having coerced me into cooking a New Year’s eve dinner, my friend arrived and immediately said, “Why is everyone putting up posts saying ‘be good to yourself. What does that mean?” I searched hard within me for the answer. But, as when asked “what is the theory of conservation of energy?” by Ms Kalra in Class IX Physics, I was compelled to say “No idea.” “Correct,” my friend responded grimly and proceeded to demand cocktails.

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“Be good to yourself” —who can disagree? Still, it feels like the Devil’s trick questions, innocuous but ominous. Does it mean be good to yourself but bad to others? Or, better be good to yourself because there is no chance anyone else will be?

The latter might........

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