The past invades every moment of the now. Why is that?
We’re all told to leave the past where it is, know that the future is unknown and will remain so, and that all there is, is here and now – yet many aspects of modern life and practices orientate around reliving/remembering/re-viewing the past.
Before we freely had access to a means of recording the now we spent a lot more time fully present in it. Experiencing, being, living in the moment with far fewer distractions. Today, as well as being regularly distracted recording instead of experiencing the now, we spend much of the now immersed in events from the past, most of them trivial and many detrimental to our well being.
Fun fact – when TV was first invented and rolled out it was commonly referred to as the “idiot box”. Was that because there were idiots on it or because we sat around like idiots watching it? Perhaps both…
The past was said to be there to teach us. There for us to reflect on, take our learnings from and move forward. Now it is being presented by the far right, and other extremest groups, in an aspirational manner, something to strive for OR revert back to, if you wish to be technically correct. How is that moving forward?
The past is presented by the mainstream media for monetary gain, and all manner of individuals for personal gain, as a form of entertainment. Again, how is that supporting us to move forward?
The past has become a distraction that is slowing down our evolution simply because we can so easily immerse ourselves in it, to the detriment of “the now”…
- Literally, by being able to view recorded content that is violent/raciest/ misogynistic/homophobic/disrespectful/obsolete… and
- Figuratively by fostering in us feelings of shame, guilt, regret, sadness, victimization…
While we remain so heavily engaged in past events/beliefs/recordings we ignore the ideas and opportunities that present in the now. We’re stagnating and we don’t even know it.
How to change it up? Manage your “now” in a manner that sustains the individual that is YOU! Limit your exposure to the past by creating space in the now. Reduce the amount of time you spend on all forms of media. Invest some of that time monitoring how your feeling throughout your day, every day, and understand what’s driving each of those feelings. Change what you need to. If your not sure what or how, sit with it. Spend time each day thinking/doing nothing in particular and see what turns up, be it an idea or an opportunity. Be the one person on public transport just gazing out the window. Trust and follow your instincts, they are more reliable than any other messages coming your way…