Are we prisoners of our past?
Debashis Dey
June 01, 2009
We, human beings normally have a tendency, rather not a tendency but to think that we live in the past, present and also future - we look before and after while living in the present. But is that good ? Human beings as of now have always lived in the Past - the past being his memory.
Even when we are living in the present we try and analyze everything with reference to the past and when we plan or think about the future we use past as a background for all our projections. In our mind, we think are here now we want to be there - we always think with the past-perspective in mind. Even when we try to understand something new we try to refer it to past theories, facts, formula, experiences and then try to put meaning to the new experience. And this is where we become blind to new ideas, concepts, theories etc. Its requires complete shutting off the 'past' to invent a new use of say electro-magnetism as in the invention of telephone.
We must be aware - totally aware whenever we take reference from past for each of our actions - there has to be total absence of past so that we really get to touch the 'new'. Its really difficult even to think about this - as we have lived for centuries accepting violence, hatred, war, competition, anxiety, jealousy, greed as part of our daily existence. We hold past as our 'Valued Tradition' - we say it defines our social fabric - the moral values of life - while the entire structure of this society does not stand on any moral values. Like our violent past - we are violent - and we cannot excel in anything except in war, in brutality, in hatred and in violence.
What has past given us so far - it has given us a life of competing with fellow human beings be at a commercial level or at a superficial level, it has given us religions - religions which divides people - makes one hate the other and kill each other - it is all some intellectual twist of some shrewd people with some little knowledge who created all these divisions - from a different perspective - it all looks so childish, foolish and also immature. We cannot truly call it a religion - religion should make us love one another - be compassionate leaving aside our hatred, greed, jealousy and brutality.
But who wants it ? Who wants to embrace a new way of living - a new way of thought which draws no reference form the past accepts no authority on anything ( not the specialized or technical areas) and is free from pre-conceived notions which only leads us to hatred and misery. Almost no one... why ? Cause most of us believe or want to believe that this is the proven established order of living and established order of the society. And living has become an effort in all sense. We all feel that there must be a way to live better, to live without anxiety without fear or without misery and conflict and then we look for directions - (and this is where the authority comes in - with their limited knowledge and intelligent ways) but the simple answer lies exactly lies within ourselves.
While the majority says that this is the way, when we look at Youth - we find them revolting almost always - asking us why do you give us exams , why do you make us compete, why do you make us do the same thing day out, why do you make us sing and dance the same song, why do you give us war, violence, history, religion .... We don't listen - as also its difficult for a young mind to grasp the complications of human mind on how his life is also shaped or about to be shaped by the violent past.
We are only 'prisoners' of our own past. And this is not only physical evolution but psychologically also. We do not take charge of the present on a as-it-is basis and always act based on a conditioned response based on past. We walk on pre-defined roads and directions and never depend on our own self to decide the right path. We believe in things and ideas - we believe we are in love, when actually we mean the possession, jealousy, hate, physical comfort, convenience, domination and all things. To be in Love we don't need to believe - we need to experience it with our whole being! Like when you see a dew drop glistening on a blade of grass - you don't believe in the beauty of that drop - you just see it and experience the beauty drawing no reference from anywhere.
Its difficult and demands intellect to face the present every time as a new instance without allowing the past to interfere with it - as this only can bring in a great change in the way we live and show us a new direction. We cannot have a simple coffee without a refrence to some past taste - we cannot speak with an unknown person without a prejudiced mind telling us what to say, what not to say and what to expect! Else we will remain chained with our beliefs our pre-conceived notions, our hatred, our violent nature , our violence, our war and our constant struggle. And we will allow religions, philosophical gurus, spiritual leaders to tell us that we need to make an effort to live - and encourage more blindness to spread and keep us locked in our past away from the light which resides only within us.
We must remember that the place we stand is between the future generation and the primitive past - we have the means to define the path to future or simply ignore and continue remain as prisoners of the past. Even a handful of right thinking people can make all the difference.
Even when we are living in the present we try and analyze everything with reference to the past and when we plan or think about the future we use past as a background for all our projections. In our mind, we think are here now we want to be there - we always think with the past-perspective in mind. Even when we try to understand something new we try to refer it to past theories, facts, formula, experiences and then try to put meaning to the new experience. And this is where we become blind to new ideas, concepts, theories etc. Its requires complete shutting off the 'past' to invent a new use of say electro-magnetism as in the invention of telephone.
We must be aware - totally aware whenever we take reference from past for each of our actions - there has to be total absence of past so that we really get to touch the 'new'. Its really difficult even to think about this - as we have lived for centuries accepting violence, hatred, war, competition, anxiety, jealousy, greed as part of our daily existence. We hold past as our 'Valued Tradition' - we say it defines our social fabric - the moral values of life - while the entire structure of this society does not stand on any moral values. Like our violent past - we are violent - and we cannot excel in anything except in war, in brutality, in hatred and in violence.
What has past given us so far - it has given us a life of competing with fellow human beings be at a commercial level or at a superficial level, it has given us religions - religions which divides people - makes one hate the other and kill each other - it is all some intellectual twist of some shrewd people with some little knowledge who created all these divisions - from a different perspective - it all looks so childish, foolish and also immature. We cannot truly call it a religion - religion should make us love one another - be compassionate leaving aside our hatred, greed, jealousy and brutality.
But who wants it ? Who wants to embrace a new way of living - a new way of thought which draws no reference form the past accepts no authority on anything ( not the specialized or technical areas) and is free from pre-conceived notions which only leads us to hatred and misery. Almost no one... why ? Cause most of us believe or want to believe that this is the proven established order of living and established order of the society. And living has become an effort in all sense. We all feel that there must be a way to live better, to live without anxiety without fear or without misery and conflict and then we look for directions - (and this is where the authority comes in - with their limited knowledge and intelligent ways) but the simple answer lies exactly lies within ourselves.
While the majority says that this is the way, when we look at Youth - we find them revolting almost always - asking us why do you give us exams , why do you make us compete, why do you make us do the same thing day out, why do you make us sing and dance the same song, why do you give us war, violence, history, religion .... We don't listen - as also its difficult for a young mind to grasp the complications of human mind on how his life is also shaped or about to be shaped by the violent past.
We are only 'prisoners' of our own past. And this is not only physical evolution but psychologically also. We do not take charge of the present on a as-it-is basis and always act based on a conditioned response based on past. We walk on pre-defined roads and directions and never depend on our own self to decide the right path. We believe in things and ideas - we believe we are in love, when actually we mean the possession, jealousy, hate, physical comfort, convenience, domination and all things. To be in Love we don't need to believe - we need to experience it with our whole being! Like when you see a dew drop glistening on a blade of grass - you don't believe in the beauty of that drop - you just see it and experience the beauty drawing no reference from anywhere.
Its difficult and demands intellect to face the present every time as a new instance without allowing the past to interfere with it - as this only can bring in a great change in the way we live and show us a new direction. We cannot have a simple coffee without a refrence to some past taste - we cannot speak with an unknown person without a prejudiced mind telling us what to say, what not to say and what to expect! Else we will remain chained with our beliefs our pre-conceived notions, our hatred, our violent nature , our violence, our war and our constant struggle. And we will allow religions, philosophical gurus, spiritual leaders to tell us that we need to make an effort to live - and encourage more blindness to spread and keep us locked in our past away from the light which resides only within us.
We must remember that the place we stand is between the future generation and the primitive past - we have the means to define the path to future or simply ignore and continue remain as prisoners of the past. Even a handful of right thinking people can make all the difference.
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