TheBicyclingGuitarist wrote:
jagatai wrote:
You have to hold onto something. You can hold onto the past. Or to the present. Or to the future.
I disagree with your premise that you
have to hold onto something. That is clinging. Also, there is no past and no future. Now is all that is real. Living in the future is as unrealistic as living in the past. You're living in the now whether or not you accept it, so why not accept it?
On the other hand, if that philosophy works for you, so be it. I don't think it applies to everyone though unless they believe it. If they do believe it then it is my opinion they are limiting themselves. I won't say my opinion is the way things are. What I quoted you saying above was stated as if it were fact when in my opinion, it is opinion.
Of course it's an opinion! It's a metaphor and thus it is far more subjective than a statement of direct empirical evidence. I understand that many people with Aspergers Syndrome do not always understand things in metaphorical terms, but as the original post was phrased as a metaphor, it seemed logical to work with and extend it.
Look at the exact wording of the question; "How do you let go of the past?" I am utilizing the original metaphor in order to suggest another way of looking at a problem. If a person thinks in terms of physically holding onto an aspect of time, it may be helpful to continue that metaphor in such a way as to show how it is possible to re-orient how one relates to events in the past, present and future. To claim that there is "no past and no future" does not actually attempt to help answer the original poster's question. Since most people are able to hold in their minds the concept of a past and a future, that makes them real enough for the purposes of this discussion.
Secondly, I did not suggest that I or anyone else should "live in the future" What I stated was that I have a tendency to think about how my actions now might affect events down the line. To provide a specific example, I had a job a while back and due to changes in the industry, we were getting fewer and fewer clients. Seeing that I would be out of a job in the future if I didn't make changes, I started to learn a new set of skills. The guy I worked with on the other hand only complained that we were not getting enough work but often said he wasn't worried because in the past, when things got bad, something came along and solved the problem. Since then I have not been out of work. I currently have a good job and he was out of work for over two years and now has had to settle for a low paying job. Because I tend to look toward the future and try to base how I live in the present off what I anticipate, I tend to be more prepared for when the future becomes the present.
It's not a matter of living in the future or the past. It is a matter of how you allow remembered or anticipated events to influence what you do in the present. When you are unable to respond to current events based on current emotions and instead keep responding with the emotions of many years ago, your life can become stunted. You can do the same thing by holding a negative view of the future and living a more limited life because of your fears. Perhaps I could have stated things more clearly, but I assumed the reader would be able to understand the metaphor adequately to the purpose.
True, what I wrote will not apply to everyone. That is why, in a forum such as this, we can ask for or submit different ideas and views. The diversity of opinions and ideas feeds knowledge and understanding. It is quite possible that what I wrote will be of no use to the original poster. But it might be use to someone else. If you disagree, please add your thoughts as to what might help.
_________________
Never let the weeds get higher than the garden,
Always keep a sapphire in your mind.
(Tom Waits "Get Behind the Mule")
13 Dec 2010, 3:25 pm
