TURNING THE CLOCK BACK
Next Sunday is the day Americans end daylight saving time and turn their clocks back one hour. We feel we have somehow gained an hour. It always makes me think how much I wish I could turn the clock back generally, how much I wish I could revisit the past, how much I wish I could do things over. But we can't do that, we don't get real second chances, we can't go back to days gone by.
It's not good to dwell in the past, to live in regret about things we did or didn't do in our lives. We are forced to live in the present and look forward, to look forward to the things we can do. We can be better people, better friends, better companions. We can do our best to live good lives, to make things better for ourselves and those around us. But we also are obliged to remember the past. Without living in the past, without unduly blaming ourselves for errors, we we can avoid the mistakes of the past, we can learn from the past.
It's a fine line to draw, looking forward while still looking to the past as a guide to the future. It's too easy to let fear of repeating our mistakes paralyze us from moving on, too easy to become lethargic, too easy to allow inertia to doom our efforts. If we are not careful, the desire to learn from the past can keep us turned backwards, prevent us from moving on, keep us from the informed optimism which is so important in living our lives
We are not doomed to repeat the mistakes of the past if we accept our mistakes, learn from them and move on optimistically. We must both learn from the past and forget it. Looking forward to something, moving on, acting in a way which helps others and ourselves, are the most important things. Be cautiously optimistic: In that way, you can forget the past without losing the lessons of the past.
10-23-00