“Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, today is a gift of God, which is why we call it the present.”
Bill Keane
I come from a family with strong ties to revisionist history. I do not think it comes with ill intent, but I listen to my mother and brothers at times recount events that I was present and often wonder when I was lobotomized or began the early onset of Alzheimer’s, to have such different experiences. It became so prevalent that I actually started to question if it was me. The answer came one day when I managed to listen to my mother retell a group of us a story that I had previously told her. She not only recounted the story that I had told as if I was unfamiliar with it, she actually transplanted ME in the story by interjecting herself in my place.
A revisionist telling of history is not an actual rewriting of history. The past cannot be changed no matter how many times someone chooses to give HER or HIStory. It is important to understand and be honest with history. The importance is to learn lessons from the past in order to not repeat mistakes made personally or from others.
The past should be a guide not an albatross or hindrance to your present and future. Whether the circumstances that have dictated your past were primarily of your doing or created from factors substantially beyond your control, the premise is the same. You cannot let your past prevent you from being the man or woman you know you are supposed to be.
Our earlier lives are filled with mistakes. The mistakes may never end, but unless you are just a glutton, that at least lesson over time. Age should bring maturity and growth at best. At worst it should at least make someone tired of the punishment and peril that comes from repeated misfeasance.
Besides mistakes, our past may also be filled with traumatic experiences. Death, illness, harm to our person or psyche are just a few of the obstacles that effect our life’s trajectory. Many of these obstacles may have seemed insurmountable, but if you actual survive them, there is hope and the ability to move forward. It may not be easy, but that is where we have to ensure that of the many things we cannot control in our lives, our will to learn, grow and persevere is not one of them.
“YOU CAN NOT REWRITE HISTORY
But the present going into your future is a blank canvas waiting for your signature.”
R. Ray
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