Hi John,
In case you have some time to read a random blog post this morning before you begin the grind at work, I thought I wanted to share this blog post with you.
http://www.farbeyondthestars.com/how-to-destroy-your-past-lives-starting-over/
I just saw the link on another random person's twitter account. And I must have read it three times, because I can't decide if I like it or not.
Well, I suppose to a certain extent I like it because it's thought-provoking, but I find I can't decide whether I agree with the writer's points or not.
When I think of someone who collects souvenirs and memories, that person would definitely be my Mom. She will keep mementos of anything - receipts, 3D glasses, plastic bags...anything! It's always a struggle for her to throw things away, but I know she is trying. But is there anything wrong with holding on to the past?
Part of me says, yes. If all a person will ever do is hold on to that good thing they had when they were 17. But, sometimes what fuels us is the memory of that happy Christmas we had when we were 8.
The blog goes on to say, 'the past is dead.' And it tells us to love the present. I am a firm believer in loving the now as well, but it just hurts when he says that what you had with friends 7 years ago, you will never have it again. I was talking to another friend about holding on to friendships because of nostalgia, even when you no longer have anything in common. Does that make it a true friendship? The ones you are not in touch with for years, then can sit down and talk for hours over a cup of coffee?
And one of the strangest, yet intriguing ideas - the hydrogen atoms (or something) in our body renew themselves every 7 years. So that means, every 7 years we are completely different persons. I know where I was 7 years ago, and I get a strange sense of comfort knowing that I'm a completely different person now from who I was back then. It almost 'justifies' moving on with one's life.
Anyway, as you can tell I really just wanted to talk about it with someone.
Take care my friend!
Ange
I responded, after reading the blog the next day. Here goes:
Hey my friend, apologies for the late reply. I can't access gmail. You might want to send emails to my San Miguel address moving forward :)
Anyway, the blog post you shared woke me up! I may have read it while I was on a different plane of consciousness - meaning, I was half awake, half asleep - but one thing struck me. He's milking the most common yoga principle for all its worth! Ha ha ha. He lifted it out of context and tried to connect it with such big, complex concepts.
Just like you, I liked it somehow because it was compelling enough - but upon closer scrutiny, it's a hodgepodge of concepts that may, at the surface, seem to connect with each other, but would be referring to entirely different bodies of idea, or even schools of thought when viewed independently.
I dunno. If I get it right, he started off by saying one has to live in the now, and if I remember my yoga classes correctly, 'living in the now' actually means focusing your energies while doing the meditative exercise and finding your center so you could maximize the experience. Strictly speaking, I believe it refers to setting aside the concerns, both mundane and the major ones, of the day and giving
yourself the opportunity to relax.
On a higher level, I think yoga teaches the discipline of being focused and not letting everyday concerns drag you to hell (hah just had to find a use for that stupid movie title!)
As regards holding on to memories, I agree that it can become maladaptive once it starts controlling how you live in the now. As long as you make good use of the past, either as reminders of good memories or of lessons learned, then I say you are on your way towards becoming a much wiser person.
I am a believer that we are the sum of all our experiences. New hydrogen atoms or not, our brain doesn't reboot every seven years. Our memories can fail us, fine, but when life happens, you know that you have been changed forever, and you'd always remember that critical turning point. In this case, you live in the now, but you acknowledge the fact that you are a product of significant life experiences.
I guess it's always a matter of perspective. Some friends, I have kept over the years while the others, I conveniently forgot about or were just erased by time.
Hmmm tomorrow I'll share with you some more insights.
Take care!
John
