Forbidden To Live In The Past
Carlos Fuentes says that “the past is written in memory and the future is present in desire.” Living in the past anchored or pending what will happen in the future is a way of missing the present. The problem is not remembering intense moments, or devising a desired life, the problem comes when we take refuge in one or the other side continuously.
But what leads many people to turn the past into their present? Resisting to accept the reality that is presented to them or to consider that a decision made in the past is the cause of the present misfortune is one of the reasons that makes many people live wrongly.
The past is written with all those experiences that have brought us here and now, to this place and in this way. It is a trunk full of good and bad experiences, of wrong and fortunate decisions, of sadness and joys and people who entered and left our lives.
Living in the past is like running after the wind
It is not about renouncing the past, but rather preventing it from becoming a bondage, a burden, that paralyzes us and hinders us from enjoying the present. We go to him, through memory. But feeling the need to live in the past is not recommended for our personal development.
A Russian proverb says that “to long for the past is to run after the wind.” Permanently looking back and settling in the past tends to be typical of people who are afraid of the present, the future of life, the uncertainty and cling to the past because knowing what is happening gives them security.
However, all this causes the present to pass before our eyes without savoring it, since we meet the mind in a time that will no longer return, that now only resides in our thoughts and that we can only relive in our mind.
The solution is in our mind
It is not about erasing our past, because remembering pleasant moments causes us pleasure. The point is to let go of the burden and accept that the past is a spontaneous thought and not a real experience. Knowing how to take advantage of the memory of lived experiences, whether happy or sad, turning it into a teaching to improve our condition as human beings
The objective is to stop talking over and over again about what we experienced, especially about what hurt us, to go on to live a present without charges of guilt or pain. As the Arab proverb says “know that the past has fled, what you hope is absent, but the present is yours”.
How can we fight this urge to live in the known? The solution is in our mind, stopping at the moment when past thoughts become obsessive and torment our present.
Installing ourselves in continuous melancholy is a mistake because, luckily or unfortunately, you cannot travel to the past. By blaming ourselves for a past decision and turning our heads to find a solution to something that no longer exists, the only thing we get is a psychological punishment that does not allow us to enjoy our current moment.
John Lennon said that “some are willing to do anything, except to live here and now.” To get rid of this burden, try to focus your gaze on the present, enjoy and become aware of the moment in which you live. Stop traveling to the past to try to fix the impossible and erase phrases such as “if I had done …” from your mind. Do it now.
