Past definitions

I am a firm believer in the old saying, ‘you are not your past.’ I do not believe it is the past that defines us, while of course it is a part of who we are, I have always believed it is who you are today that matters. Likewise, ‘It’s not who you are underneath, it’s what you do that defines you.’ I find truth in the statement..

And yet, what you do is always in the past. According to the wonderful theories of Albert Einstein, time is relative, we are never truly in the now. ‘The distinction between past, present, and future is only a stubbornly persistent illusion.’ Does that contradict the everwise do-gooder (for those of you that missed it, the first quote was from the beginning monologue to Batman Begins) or is it an affirmation to his cinematic declaration? To me, it is a wee bit of both. What we have done is done and there is nothing we can do to change that. Nevertheless, if we capitulate to Al’s premise, the present is ever-changing, we have a choice to be ever-changing with it. Even though our action is set in stone, what we do with it is not. We have the power of preference, we can make new decisions, be somebody else. To, as Al would say, ‘Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow.’

And since we’re on a roll of quotes, I’ll throw in one from Kevin Costner, who said in one of my many favorite sporting flicks, ‘That … was a defining moment, and when a defining moment comes along, you define the moment, or the moment defines you.’ The philosophical debate rages on.. Character or actions? What matters most? According to Heraclitus of Ephesus, ‘A man’s character is his destiny.’ In some cases this is true, it is a self-fulfilling prophesy wherein the person in question allows himself to be defined by the moment. Still, there are some of you that write your own destinies, who ‘Change your stars and live a better life…’

There is no doubt about it: our experiences shape who we are and yet at the same time we always have that God given gift: choice. We can choose to be whomever and whatever it is we want to be. In the president’s forbidden address to the students of America, he asks them to make that choice to better themselves, to take responsibility for their lives. Crazy ideals, huh? Have I always chosen to live in the now? Always? No (my wife constantly tells me always and never shouldn’t even be part of my vocabulary for the most part and yet I always use these words and never refrain from them.)

Sincerely, life is about today (What a Tony Robbins moment, my next tangent has to be completely random). ‘What we do in life echoes in eternity.’ Chilling, huh. Okay maybe it was so yesterday, but think about it. The choices you make today are for ever cemented in the past and also set the tone for your future. Knowing that, are you the type who is looking back so often you often trip and fall on your face? Or are you the one who worries so much about tomorrow you never take notice of today? Or are you the individual who makes the most of the opportunities right in front of you? Maybe there’s a bit of each of these in all of us. On the other hand, whatever person you were, are and will be is ever and always your choice.

I swear I could write a book entitled, “Everything I ever needed to know, I learned from the Movies.”

This a random song to place here, I suppose it sort of connects to what I wrote, but really, I just like it.

That is all.