Sunday 13 May 2018

Don't live in the past, but never forget it

....for you will not be able to appreciate the present moment. I have always heard people say - don't live in the past, don't worry about the future, rather live in the present. I have a slightly different take to it. Agree that one should not live in the past, but one must never forget ones past. If I look back and think of times that have passed, I feel more confident and energetic in handling my present. Not that those were primarily bad times, but they have taught me life's lessons, patience and endurance, helped me gain experience and become mature at dealing things, without which handling today might have been difficult. If the past was bad, then there is always something to appreciate in the present and if the present is not so good, let's wait for the time to pass. After all bad phases don't last long.

Reflecting on the situation right now versus the situation a few months or years ago, makes us realise that little things in life are to be appreciated and not complained about. Sitting amidst trickling waters on one side and a silent valley on the other, prosopopoeia conveys that when things go bad, believe that good times are not too far away and when that good time comes, enjoy it and appreciate the fact that things have indeed changed.

Knitting it closely with our daily life, we have a tendency to live in the laurels of our past, bask in its glory and leverage that feeling to make or at least to convince ourselves  to be comfortable in the present. But we often tend to lose sight of what we are after and what we dream to be. If that thought arises often, then the need to change and adapt in the present will dawn. It does take courage to answer the question -' Do I want to change?' If the answer is no, then may be we have to start asking ourselves - 'Where am I headed?', for the path ahead might change. If the answer is yes, then you will be creating a fresh past to remember going forward that you will feel confident about.

Hooked onto my next read 'Pilgrimage' by my favourite author, I have started to think about how my 'future past' should be, for that will be 'my history'. Have you?