Reason #302: Ghosts and Skeletons

Posted at April 10, 2010

We all have heard those worn-out cliches concerning our past. About ghosts and closeted skeletons. We all have them. The question is, do we allow them to define us, to stunt us? Are we a product of our past? Those ghosts and skeletons are now really nothing more than memories of events, things that happened. No one is immune from those events that, if we were given the luxury of a do-over, we would rather have escaped the experience of, or the consequences of. But rather than allowing our lives to be shaped and defined by past events, I believe it is a better way to allow it to be shaped by our vision for the future. A vision that is unclouded by our past. As humans we are given the unique ability to determine our future through the vehicle of our current decisions. Past decisions may have determined your existing state of being, but we have the ability to remake ourselves into something that past events could never predict. I believe life should be about a continuous series of such rebirths. You might call it evolution. We are evolving into something and that something can either take on a shape and form that is molded by skeletons and ghosts of the past, or by a compelling vision of the future that is uniquely ours to create. I believe we have a responsibility as humans to do so. We were designed towards that end. I catch myself from time to time wandering through the dark hallways lined with memories of the past in a futile and pointless attempt at determining exactly why I am where I am today. There are a thousand reasons just waiting to be rationalized. But does it really matter? I am where I am and that is always a great starting point, isn’t it? A great place to start molding my future. One day I will be here no more and wouldn’t it be nice if I could leave a few traces of my existence that would be meaningful and even helpful to those that remain. Now that is a vision worth evolving into and I refuse to allow ghosts and skeletons of the past, or those that seem to always care to remind me of them, to deter me from progress towards that end.