I heard a provocative statement on the radio today: “The older you are, the more you live in the past.” It was novelist Walter Mosely in his Big Think interview.
I’m not sure I agree. I am mulling over my thoughts about the subject.
And I’m very interested to know what you think.
The results of the poll will influence a future post. And please feel free to add your comments below.
Update: read a couple of follow-up posts and learn from the wisdom of the crowd:
My philosophy is to take from the past what I need for today and plan loosely for the future but roll with the joy of whatever comes.
Beautiful philosophy! That’s exactly the kind of wisdom I was hoping to gather from responses to this post. Thank you!
I look forward to seeing what you make of all this.
Oh yes, LOL I’m 51
And i’m 52…starting to think that the question of age is completely irrelevant. It’s who you are, how you feel, what you believe is important.
Yes, I agree everyone will have their own perspective on life. It’s been my experience that those who live in the past are most often those who are unhappy with today.
I agree that some individuals live in the past more and some do not. I think maybe those of us living with regrets may have a more difficult time being present as our bodies and minds begin to age. I think when we learn to follow our intuition and live with no regrets, we are able to be more present, because we have selected our choices wisely and our moments are more congruent. I think our souls want what is rightfully thiers, true happiness which comes from following our dreams and passions. When we are able to right our wrongs as they happen and reach for our dreams, we can age gracefully, without regret, this makes room for us to be present for our experiences.
Of course, the more we age the more experiences we have and it is normal to reflect on those experiences as we live each day…but, if you remain busy in this life it would be silly to live for the past since the present and the future are more exciting. There is a question missing which says, do older people use their experiences of the past to enhance the present and future.
I look forward far more than backward … and that has not always been the case! So I would vote “depends on the individual and the circumstances in that individual life”. Good point to ponder – thanks for posting and nudging me to make today one of the forward-looking ones.
Thank you to all of you for your comments; I have compiled them in a new post: https://glovergardens.com/2016/06/20/people-are-amazing-and-wonderful-and-wise/ . It is truly the wisdom of the crowd.