Nothing Lasts Forever

You can only have a better future – not a better past.

I don’t have a time machine; so I cannot go back and change my past and I cannot nip off into the future to see what is coming. Can you imagine the money that could be made if that were possible? Well, it’s not, so I can’t offer you a lift either; sorry.

So, living in the past is not available to us in the physical realm. It looks like we are stuck with the present moment, until the future gets here, only that will then be the present moment too!

Your past has left you – have you left it?

The word history is interesting because split it reads “Hi Story” – the story of your past because now, in the present moment all your past can ever be is a story.

By referencing a better past it can cause disappointment in the present moment if you wish to be back in the past.

By referencing a worse past it can cause unhappiness in the present moment even though you are no longer there.

The past may well have been better – you may have been happier, healthier or wealthier. Whatever the circumstances, they all share one thing in common – they are gone; the past is gone, so to reference it now in a negative context is only going to create an unhappy present moment. Life cannot and will not stay the same – nothing lasts forever, everything changes and everything is temporary.

Here is a great way to visualise it:

You buy a DVD of your favourite comedian or comedy show and watch for an hour in a state of almost uncontrollable laughter. An hour later the show is over and the moment has passed. You could replay the DVD over and over, yet would it always be funny? A time must surely come when you either no longer find it funny, look for another source of entertainment or at least wait a while before viewing it again. Or, you could see it as a beautiful temporary moment of which there are likely to be many more and move on. If you are happy within the without comes and goes and isn’t a requirement or condition of your happiness.

Memories and the past are like the DVD – are you replaying the past either in the hope of replicating it or making yourself unhappy in the present? Nothing lasts forever – we recognise it with the DVD; yet our lives can sometimes be a constant re-run. Each day presents an opportunity to witness a new DVD unfolding, a new episode, all around us; fresh, vibrant, exciting.

Releasing the past on a personal level brings you opportunities to enjoy the present. Imagine the global implications of dropping the past. Peace would be possible collectively. It will happen one day because millions of people have already had enough suffering and they are ripe for change. Might you do your bit? Might you see that you can only have a better future – not a better past?

When the last minutes of your life come, I don’t think you’ll spend time recalling the worse bits. Nothing lasts forever – that is the joy of celebrating life.