The past doesn’t exist.
I’m wrong, am I not? Like, of course the past exists. Yesterday happened, and now, “oh hey, here I am! Breathing and well and alive!” And sure, maybe you’re right. But that’s where you’re wrong.
According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, exist means “to continue to be.” That is to say, the past existed at one point or another, but not immediately.
I think most of us tend to view the past as something way back when, and the future as something miles ahead. But that too isn’t the full scope of reality. Just as much as 9/11 is far behind us and 2050 is long to come, we live in a continuum where past, present, and future exist simultaneously — pretty much.
The present is right now. But a few seconds ago it was the future, was it not? And by the time you finish reading this sentence, it will have become the past. Interesting huh? Past, present, and future. They all seem to blend together when you look at time on a small scale.
Only one of them matters, however.
The present — right here, and right now.
The past doesn’t matter. Not as much as you think it does. Let go of it and be free.
“You ruin your life by letting your past govern it. It is common for certain things in life to happen to you. There will be heartbreak, confusion, days where you feel like you aren’t special or purposeful. There are moments that will stay with you, words that will stick. You cannot let these define you — they were simply moments, they were simply words.” — Bianca Sparacino
It’s a fact of life that all of us have been through some f’d up stuff. Things happened. You were hurt. I get it. For me to dismiss your suffering as insignificant would mark myself as a cold-blooded psychopath, so I’m not going to do that.
Instead, I’m going to tell you to not dwell on it (because what does that achieve?). That it happened, with the “-ed” suffix meaning it’s over. It’s the past, meaning it doesn’t exist anymore, meaning that you should grow up and get over it. And I know how freaking easy it is to type that without considering the “situation,” trust me.
But seriously, now what?
Are you a student? Let’s say you are. Maybe you’re a chronic procrastinator. Maybe your sleep schedule is also detrimentally screwed. Maybe it has always been. Maybe your day didn’t go as productively as you hoped it would go.
I legitimately don’t care.
Pretend it didn’t happen. Pretend that yesterday didn’t exist — because it doesn’t. Pretend all your shortcomings and bad habits are a thing of the past. Don’t associate yourself with it. Repeat to yourself over and over, “the past doesn’t exist, nor does it matter” until you’re sick of it and actually believe it. Because you know what? It doesn’t! Really. It doesn’t matter who you were or are right now. Because you are not your past.
Then, open the textbook. Then, start the assignment. Then, finish the project you’ve been delaying for the past half-millennium. Yes, we are not all perfect. Yes, we are all flawed human beings. But the excuses we give (yes, they are excuses) for why we’re not beaming needs to be met with the question: now what?
Because what’s the alternative? Are you gonna not fix your mess and continue to wallow in misery until… death? Of course not. That’s not who you are, and that’s not what you want.
So do something about it — right here, and right now.
You ruin your life by tolerating it.