Living In The Past

The past is an interesting concept to consider. As a society, we have agreed to use a structure that represents infinitely large, or small amounts of time, which for the most part, are both theoretical, and unmeasurable. When we speak about, or refer to a “past event," we are talking about something that has come and gone, however that definition is a very loose one.

Once you start talking about past increments of time, which have come and gone, you have to define the increments of time you are referring to. Is it a year, month, week, day, hour, minute, second, or a millisecond?

It is a fact that time can be divided up into a number of smaller, and smaller units, and this is true, because time is not a “physical” reality,... it is a “theoretical” construct we make use of, in order to better experience physical life.

Time can be divided into increments so small, that one second becomes an infinity large unit of time, in comparison, and when you talk about divisions of time that small, or short, (whichever you prefer), you find that time comes and goes, faster than the mind which is trying to perceive it, can work!

In a case such as this, you could say that for all practical purposes, the present moment never actually exists, because it is continually over, before the mind can recognize or define it. Therefore, it becomes understandable, that “the smaller the divisions of time we use, the faster life moves from the present, into the past”.

The same ideas apply to the concept of “now." It has been the trend of late, for those who are talking about time, to deny it’s reality, and say that there is no such thing as time, and that everything is occurring in that one eternal moment of “now”.

This sounds metaphysically “trendy” and possibly correct, however it is only a theoretical concept, unless you define “now” in specific terms. If you look at a unit of time measured in milli, micro, or nanoseconds, then any concept of “now” is always over before the mind can define it. I believe that you have to work with the “clock speed” of the mind. Anything slower than the clock speed of the mind, has the potential to become "recognizable" by us.

Anything equal to the mind’s clock speed, (the maximum speed of thought, at which the mind can function), can be described as “now," while anything faster than the minds clock speed, is either in the future, (because it hasn’t happened yet), or the past, because time has come, and is over, before the mind can even entertain, or finish a thought about it.

Remember,... nothing is real to a mind, if it is incomprehensible to that mind. That is why we have little use, or understanding, about units of measurement that are theoretically, very large, or very small. We have no frame of reference for these units of measurement, and therefore no comprehension.

Now current wisdom, tells us not to live in the past, however that is not practical, because in theory, everything useful, practical and for the most part measurable, is over before you can take any action. Your whole life, up until whatever definition of “now” you care to use, is in the past! Should we therefore make no practical use of all those experiences and fine memories?

The idea then is really to look at our past,... determine what serves our best interests, and use it, and let the rest lie. Remember, your past is just data,... feedback from past activities. Some of it shows you what worked for you, and some of it shows you what didn’t work for you. It’s all useful in some respect, however once you’ve gleaned the lesson that negative data had to teach you, it no longer serves you to keep reflecting on it.

Reflect rather on those things that are good, those things that are just, and those things that are true. One other factor looms large and that is the idea that the longer we live, the more life experiences move into our past, and become a huge data bank of accumulated thought, and experience. It therefore would be a shame, not to utilize that information for constructive purposes.

Many of us make use of this data in various ways, not all of them for our highest good, and this tends to be a significant factor, responsible for a lot of our recurring problems in our lives. By continually looking at life with an unbiased viewpoint, we allow it to be what it is. When we make continual efforts to view life’s positive aspects, we find life returning back to us, that which we have envisioned.

Suffice it to say that your mind holds a wealth of positive, constructive data, that is there just for the asking. Make your choices consciously, and wisely, and your mind becomes a willing servant to you.