FORGET THE PAST
The English poet Adelaide Proctor
(1825-1864) says in her poem “NOW” :
Rise ! if the Past detains you,
Her sunshine and storms forget;
No chains as unworthy to hold you
As those of a vain regret ;
Sad or bright, she is lifeless ever,
Cast her phantom arms away,
Nor look back, save to learn the
lesson
Of a nobler strife Today.
It
is unfortunate that a large number of people cling to the past. They go on
brooding over it. There is hardly a day when they do not find an opportunity to
quote some past ugly or handsome event for some selfish or public benefit.
It
can be appropriate to quote some event of recent past, but to quote ugly events
of remote past for some personal benefit is totally undesirable. Their
reference to such events is selfishly incomplete whereas every event deserves to be related both with its cause and effect.
According
to a famous quote:
The
past is a closed door, the present is an open one, and the future is an
approaching one. Don’t mourn over the
past; it has no pity for you. Don’t cry over the present; it has no sympathy
for you, and don’t weep over the future; it has no mercy on you.
Some
psychologists consider past events as mental junk. They advise us to clean our
minds every day and throw out whatever rubbish of old memories is there.
Finally,
this quote by the U.S. 1st President George Washington (1732-99): We ought not to
look back unless it is to derive useful lessons from past errors, and for the
purpose of profiting by dear bought experience.
*********
G.R.Kanwal
10 July 2025
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