Accepting the Past

you can’t learn anything if you deny history

the gloomy sunset can still presage a bright new dawn

Some things in our past may be painful, uncomfortable, unpleasant, disgusting, illegal, or just a big mistake.  Personally, I will admit to trying hard to forget the painful, uncomfortable, unpleasant mistakes I’ve made ~ and there have been more than a few.  But, you know what?  Without fully accepting and trying to understand the what, why, and how of the mistakes in my past, I will never learn anything.  To be a real man I need to learn from my past so that I will not make the same errors of judgement again in the future.

More people would learn from their mistakes if they weren’t busy denying them.  ~  Harold J. Smith

Conversely, I also need to remember the good people, places, events, and things in my past so that I can repeat and reinforce anything virtuous, righteous, ethical, principled, and enjoyable things I have done, experienced, or been responsible for.  And you know what?  There are far more of those good things in my past than there are expressions of my dark side.

The very worst kind of people are those who will never honestly look at their past and say; ‘I should not have done that…..’  But, those who look at the past and see only negativity and darkness are not such good people either.  The past is what it is, nobody can change it, we can only accept what we do in this moment and resolve to do better in the future.

Perhaps the very worst people of all are those who have no ambition to be better tomorrow than they are today.  Those who have no good aims, goals, dreams, desires, and aspirations are doomed to fester in the slough of despond forever.

Some say that the past has nothing to teach us.  And that we should wipe out history as being unacceptable and pointless.  All I know is that as you give to the world, so you shall receive in return.

~

jack collier

jackcollier7@talktalk.net

tomorrow is another day

another chance to be better