the time machine.....
Given an opportunity to decide whether we would like to travel through time, most of us would probably jump at the chance. If it meant the possibility of reuniting with a loved one, now deceased, or correcting a wrong deed, I believe more people would choose to travel backwards. Why not...... somehow it seems so uncomplicated to do so, other than the possibility of time travel existing at all. There are a few that would choose to go forward to see the state of affairs the world exists in the future; but all in all, most people would still want the possibility, regardless of which way they go,
for the back door to remain open.... as coming back to where we start is a powerful pull. Somehow the feeling of home, and a comfort zone is where we still do our best work. After all, home will always be where our heart is, as the comforts it supplies is familiar territory.
We don't travel through time though, do we? We are only offered the opportunity to travel through mapped space, which has changed as much as we have, in most cases. Our suitcases are loaded with memories of a time when everything seemed a little more paced, and we approached everything with fresh eyes and a new attitude. The experience we've gained while the years passed has made us a little more cynical, because we know too much. Regardless, it is still a trip we take with newer, wider eyes.... trying to capture a glimpse of the past, a simple reminder of where we started, while taking in all the changes we see before us.
Somehow it's become easier to make these trips without even leaving the comfort of home. When you age, those memories flood you at the most in-opportune times. You find yourself day-dreaming about past occurrences that might overlap into current affairs of your now time. It can't be helped, it's all you have to rely on.... it's a lifes experience of lessons you wished you knew when you existed then, as it might have made all the difference of where you are now.
I can't complain, but I always compare regardless. It's my own system of checks and balances,
and reviewing it over from time to time is healthy for my soul.
I'm beyond the point of sheer panic in the leaner times than I once was. In my past, I would have gotten a F in that area. I'm not quite at A- level yet, but being a middle of the road child, I'm nearing a nice strong NB..... Not Bad. Ok, so I made that mark up.... it doesn't matter though, as it's an improvement; one that age makes you wear so well, if you do it right. Besides, I've had a lot of experiences that warranted behavior and civility over the likes of shouting and arguing. They say that practice makes perfect...... well, it's true. You do need to walk through a pile of garbage many times over before you convince your olfactory nodes that it's really a pile of roses. Attitude speaks volumes, and it's your biggest stick of defense. I'm still working on that one, but am so much further down the line then when I was in my 20's and 30's. To sum it up: life is too short to sweat all the small stuff..... and a lot of it is small stuff.
No doubt bigger problems arise, as it's a fact of life. Holding up that Louisville Slugger to bat away the issues gets hard and tiring, but surviving the hostage situation it becomes, canonizes you to survivor status. It's a pothole mess for a road, but the ride nonetheless toughens up your back end. The will and fight to go on is a powerful naturally induced drug when called upon..... it's proof you possess persistence.
We already know we can't travel either way in time..... at least for right now. However, our mind does play funny little games with our memories as we grow older. It's the only way we can frolic through the game of time travel for now. We tend to look back to a safer period of our psyche as the worlds problems become mountainous to fix. The images that fill our TV screens and news headlines seem out of control, and the men we depend on to fix the problems appear helpless and relentless in their strife. We play a new game of hindsight when facts become available, while we pray for the innocent victims caught in the middle. We hope that the scholars and leaders can recall the past long enough to remember the previous mistakes in order to not repeat them, as we want so much for them to repair the future now. If they take a little trip through history.... a little time travel back so to speak, they might be able to see the follys we are trying to correct now.... at least we hope so. But that is a lot to rely on, isn't it? Especially when we have little faith in the leadership presenting their solutions.
So I guess it is up to us individually to make baby steps in order to correct injustices we face daily. We may not be able to go back and correct the wrong things, but hopefully we learn from these and vow not to repeat them.
........just some odd thoughts I was having today, and thanks for indulging my ramblings.
10 Comments:
Ellen - Nice post. I agree with you. I think I'd want to go back to correct some things. Then again, we are now what we've learned from the bad things.
Deep....
Peace & Hugs,
- Neo
Lots to think about Ellen.
I believe that new learning is always tied to previous learning. It's an automatic thing for us 40 somethings.
Our brains filter in new information while thinking, "how does this fit with what I already know?" Often when there isn't a link, the learning seems moot....or it's a sign that maybe it's time to shift the paradigm.
Whats exciting to me is that learning and growing never end..... and never will. Don't you think?
You're on fire this week!
I often wonder about the nature of time, both philosophically and scientifically. It's fascinating and bewildering - there are many who have a much better grasp on it than I.
The reality of time is all there is now. At some point in the future, time travel may be possible - science tells us it is. However, at the moment, time is not relative, it is constant... one minute is, for all intents and purposes, always 60 seconds. What that leaves us with is the present, always and only.
It took a very, very long time for me to learn how to live in the present. I was always rushing toward the future or wallowing in the past. The "if onlys' and I should'ves" served no useful purpose other than becoming another component of who I am - today.
Jim Croche said, "It's the things we do that make us who we are." True enough, but I would add that who we ultimately become is dependant on what has not happened yet. It is for these reasons and others that "I do not regret the past nor do I wish to shut the door upon it" (borrowed and paraphrased - anonymous).
Do I regret some of the things I have done - or not done? Sure, everyone does to one degree or another. But in total, it is the nearly four score and four years of my history that has delivered me to this very moment - right now.
I can't complain.
Mike
Ellen, your posts are always so thought provoking! I have a huge problem with living in the past (memories of better times) and the future (fantasies about the future). It's really very self-defeating and I am throwing away my todays.
Thanks for this reminder. You have a lot of wisdom - I give your mind an A++
I always wanna correct things, n rework Design projects. I don't think they're ever finished.
This title reminded me of the "time-Machine movies (old n new versions), n I'd love one of those (but no Morlocks please!)
Great post, it made me think of how I always compare every day to one smal week in Cabo San Lucas. Unfortunely,long deep slow sigh, my every days are far from kicked back and worlds away from my ideal time travel. :)
I guess I am one of the weird ones, because I have no interest in going back. I don't want to change anything, and there is nothing I want to see. The only thing I want to see is the future, and what will happen to our world. The past is over and done with, and you think changing things might make things better, but that is often not the case. We would likely then find ourselves in a different situation that might be worse. I just want to leave it alone, and go into the future, because that is where all the new experiences are. :)
neo~
I would also like to travel back to correct a few things, but then hindsight is 20/20, isn't it?
We are truly the people we are today because of the miles we walked through the bad (and good) things. There just is no other way around it for now.
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awareness~
We can't help but compare, as memory is part of our make-up, and instinct is a by-product of that memory.
I wish to keep learning everything I can learn, and not become too old and set in my ways too soon. I used to think I knew everything I needed to know when I was in my 20's, and have come to realize that I haven't even scratched the surface. We are very fortunate to live in a time when information is at the end of our fingertips, and the world has gotten smaller through technological advances. Just imagine what our children will have in their future.
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mike~
Living in the present is a hard task, as we always seem to be looking into the future, and how much we can get done to get to that point. I found that I can multi-task, but it usually leaves something lacking when I do too much. After all, we are only who we are right now.... every minute of the day or year, and with it's everchanging ways, the right now of us changes as well.
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barbara~
Throwing away our todays is easy to do.... we are too pre-occupied to see where they are going to take us, rather than enjoying the moment they are. That's only human. Besides our lives are geared for the future, as the tasks of daily functions mount. The time of lazy afternoons sipping tea on the veranda have long since gone by the wayside as we try to keep up and stay ahead... all the while wishing we could slow down.
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snaggle~
No Morlocks here! They were ugly creatures weren't they? The Time Machine was one of my favorite movies back when I was a kid. That Rod Taylor was quite a looker in his time!
I think we try to correct as much as we can when we realize that they need correcting, but the day only holds 24 hours, and they seem to speed by all too quickly when you get up in years. Remember when Christmas used to take so long to come around.... now it's always here in a snap!
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skye~
Ah yes, mine too. I often daydream so I can take those mini-vacations.... then the phone rings, and it's back to the real world again.
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wes~
Very well said. You listed the one equation I didn't think of. Perhaps if we could go back... would it really change the way things are supposed to be? Who knows what other things could come out of it? Thank you for taking the time to look at the other side.... and, no, I do not find that weird at all!
Ellen;
Insightful thoughts. I guess we have all had the same feelings many times in our lives.
However, instead of traveling back in time, I'd rather have next Sunday's Newspaper!
Love Karl
karl~
Hmmm..... don't tell me.... you want next weeks lotto numbers, right?
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