Galilea Week 15: No Use Escaping the Present
I recently called a friend and they told me how they either think about the past or the future, never the present.
Am I the same way?
I know that I should be living in the present, but do I?
Shoot.
I’m a hypocrite.
Now, to convince myself to be more present in my life, I will write this blog. This is mainly for me, but I believe that there is some value for you.
We look back on our memories. Whether that is to experience nostalgia, or to find the answer to a current problem, or look back to a happier time, we all think back to our past experiences in a form of comfort. It is familiar, you know how it starts, and you know how it ends. You know the surprises of that day. You know the emotions you felt then.
But do you? I have referred to how memory is constantly changing. How, you can change your perspective of that moment and create an entirely different memory. Memory is malleable to your desires.
Although, I do find it quite useless. Looking back to past experiences, especially if they hurt, is a great way to heal. However, these memories cause us to overthink, we nitpick the bad and believe them to be our entire reality.
What was the use of thinking in the past? The past is something we can’t change, that is where regret comes from. The inability to change something you know you did wrong, and now you wish to change it. We overthink. We dwell. It is useless. We tend to ruminate on the past. Whether the past was better or worse, we compare it to now. We want to go back.
If we don’t want to go back, we look to the future, thinking that it will save us from our reality. I love the way that Eckhart Tolle explains this in his book The Power of Now, “the past gives you an identity and the future holds the promise of salvation, of fulfillment in whatever form. Both are illusions.”
Hi Galilea! What another wonderful read and I am so excited to have another Galilea writing addition to the series. You know, I find it really incredible how you are able to really imbue your own personal voice into your writing. When you did that little snippet where you said that you said that you were a hypocrite, I could envision both your face and voice in my head. And I understand your meaning as well. I find myself often plagued with worries about the past or the future while never actually considering the now. For example, I feel like every day goes by so quickly because I am worrying so much about the future and regretting my mistakes. Like "oh I should have spent more time doing this" or "oh I need to worry about this after school." I am always just waiting for later. Even in enjoyable moments like at a party or family get together I am always thinking “wow, I am going to miss this in the future” or “I should remember this for later.” On one hand, it helps me appreciate the now but on the other hand, I fall into that trap that you mentioned. I am consumed by my thoughts about the future. Thinking about it now I find it hard to even remember the time when I was just living for the now. The only time I can think of was when I was really young and not swamped with all types of worries. I hope that one day I will be able to do what you recommend and just live in the moment because it really sounds so wonderful.
ReplyDeleteHello Galilea! As always, I enjoyed your fresh style with this blog. I love your personal your blog is and the way that your writing feels relatable. I agree with you in that "memory is constantly changing," I have often noticed that my perception of the past has changed with time, whether it's because I have matured or because my new memories have taught me more about the past. I liked your use of Eckhart Tolle's quote because it serves as a reminder that the the past and future cannot be changed, rather all we can do is live in the present and appreciate our very short time on this planet. Similar to you, I have found that reflecting on past experiences helps me heal by forcing me to confront my past. As I reread Beloved over the past week, I understood how Sethe was forced to face her traumas of the past in order to grow as a person in the present. This was an interesting read as always, thank you for sharing!
ReplyDeleteHello Galilea,
ReplyDeleteI have been convincing myself to be more present as well. However, I think people get too swept up in wanting to create memories that they completely suppress their past. It’s a tricky balance. I love how many books you reference in your blogs, it shows that you’ve really thought about the topic and researched it.
Our perception of the past will always warp, but our perception of the present can be warped too. People who find themselves romanticizing the past or the future can ignore the reality of their present just as fully. I think this kind of thing calls for a mindset shift completely. Reflecting on Beloved has made me think of how one must confront the past to heal the present.
I’ve never been one to live in the future. I have been one to live in the potential, though. How something could roll out, or could have, but won’t.