The past teaches and enslaves, if we let it. The more we obsess on what is behind us, the less time we have available for what is in front of us. We follow our line of sight and move in the direction of our thoughts. If we stare into the past, it stares back and we move in that direction. Everyone knows someone who relives their glory days over and over again. They are trapped in time. Everyone knows someone who cannot escape the memories that haunt them. They, too, are trapped in time. Revisiting the past can be pleasant and informative. Living in the past deprives us of the joy of today and the hope of tomorrow.
As you learn from the past, you carry that lesson forward into the present paving the way for the future. As Mark Twain said, “There is nothing to be learned from the second kick of a mule.” Sticking around after the lesson is learned is a lot like staying after school. I didn’t know many people growing up that enjoyed staying after school.
The Roman philosopher Seneca said, “Don’t stumble over something behind you.” You may find it difficult to move on, but you can keep moving. By doing so, you cannot trip over what’s behind you unless you carry it with you. On the journey you have travelled, you have faced many obstacles. Once you’ve encountered and overcome the obstacles, why burden yourself with carrying that load? Learn from the obstacles and keep moving. Movement is key. You may find it difficult to move on, but you can keep moving which takes you farther from what’s behind you.
Your book of life is an ongoing story, not a single chapter. Your past is only one of many chapters—some pleasant, some not so pleasant. You cannot write the next chapter if you remain stuck reading and re-reading previous chapters. You are the author of your life story. You narrate the adventure. You revise and edit your life with the choices you make today. Which excites you more: Revisiting the past or anticipating the future?
Time squandered today by stewing about yesterday becomes tomorrow’s regret. You can own the past without it owning you. This answers the question: Who or what controls your consciousness? If you own the past, it is in your grip. If the past owns you, you are in its grip. Yielding ownership of the past binds you to what haunts you; taking ownership empowers you to release your grip. Repeating this mantra often helps: “I own the past; it doesn’t own me.”
“What’s past is prologue.” (William Shakespeare, The Tempest) The past offers perspective for your life—it illuminates the context in which you made decisions. It doesn’t excuse your decisions; it merely explains them. You are who you were, but all of who you are is not just who you were. Your past is not your potential. It is simply a statement of what you were able to accomplish with resources that you had available at the time. Your life has changed since then. You are wiser, more experienced and travelled. Those lessons will serve you well. The past is the path you chose to get to today. The path you choose today will take you to tomorrow. Choose wisely.
Copyright 2021 Tom Reilly, author of Hope in The Shadows of War.
