I came to a realization quite suddenly the other day. Past, Present, Future, all parts of our lives or what it will be and although each of the aspects are part of the person we will be when we take our final breath and each one is important, which one we live in is an enigma to me.
PAST: The past is an easy one, we are most definitely not meant to live in the past, yet we should never forget the past completely. All the phrases like "forgive and forget" and "Lets pretend that didn't happen and start over" have never made any sense to me. It is by the past that we know how to live our present and future lives. If we forget the past we force ourselves to forget what brought us to the person we are today. How could we be the person we are, without the knowledge of who we were? There are things in everyone's past they would love to forget, terrifying things, dark things, but it is these things that keep us humble in knowing who we were, and proud in seeing ourselves grow and change from the haunting past.
FUTURE: It is a tendency of people to live in the future, which can be a good thing and can also be a very bad thing. It is human nature to press forward and remain confident of tomorrow. Hope is what keeps us moving forward and the future is, in essence, hope. If we didn't have aspirations, goals, progress, we could never consider ourselves "living." Yet some people put so much stock in the future that they pass up the present, looking for the future. Abraham Lincoln said "Leave nothing for tomorrow which can be done today." The future, with all its possibility, is important, but don't let it rob the present.
PRESENT: Many agree that we should live in the present, which we seem to be forced to do anyway. It is taught to be spontaneous, seize the moment, live today like you were dying, ect, and I agree with all these statements. People spend there whole lives regretting the past or hoping for the future and somehow miss those moments in between that can help change both. The present is important because it's the time we actually live in, the moments that effect us and change those around us in the blink of an eye.
So which aspect of life are we to spend our most time and concern in? I would say all three equally. The past shapes the present and future, the future keeps us moving forward, and the present is when we have the opportunity to make a difference in our trek through life.
Which aspect of life is most important to you? Which do you spend most of your time thinking about?
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