As I drove in my car this advertisement from SABC1 beside the road, with the fragmented heading and the silhouette of a child running carefree, got stuck in my thoughts.
The fragmented straight forward approach of the motto caught my eye. Instantly life is divided into three different paradigms. It is between those three paradigms that we daily place ourselves, that we live in. The present, past and the future.
Daily we have to decide, through our thoughts, actions and attitudes what weight we are going to attach to those three components in our lives.
The importance we give to the different components moulds our relationships, our spirit and that which we ultimately become.
We all have a past, a part of our lives that has gone by. We can't change it, make it worse or better. The only thing we can change is our attitude and thoughts that govern our memories.
The present, the here and now. That is where the challenge lies. It is the palette for our memories. It is happening as we speak, so we can't plan it. While we are contemplating our actions it slips through our fingers.
The future, tactically we will never get there. Like candy floss we will always taste it, but before we are able to grasp its contents it vanishes.
What makes this simple motto so effective is the fact that it assigns a certain weight to all three, to balance our thoughts and streamline our attitudes.
Think back
The way to treat the past. Don't live there, but visit there often through the vehicle of thought. Extract from it wisdom gained through mistakes and failure, brew on pleasant memories, strengthen your soul through memory aids - photo's, writings...
But do not stay too long. It is not a place for the living.
Look forward
It is there where the future lies. The eyes are the window to the soul. It is wise to let the light of the future enlighten the mind. To have a vision, a purpose, to plan with optimism ahead yet staying realistic without underlying pessimism. That is looking forward. You can't look forward if you are not enjoying the present. Looking forward gives perspective, helping us to use the present more wisely. Never visit the future though. Never try to put yourself there with the aim to conquer the future. The future is not to be conquered.
The answer, the missing link to a perfect balance lies in the treatment of the present.
Live today.
Grasp your current situation, use every minute of your day wisely, focusing on what you're doing now, while extracting wisdom from the past and aiming for the future. We will never be able to regret a life lived. Those who live each day die young, regardless of their age.
We only become old once regret has replaced our dreams. Straight forward: when the past and future has switched places. Once that has happened we can't live.
All around us people are stuck daily in the mud of their past failure and pain. Others again, has lost faith in the present, and too scared to live try to build a fictive place in the future. You either hide in the past or the future. There is no hiding place in the present. The present can only be faced boldly, honestly.
Once you start living you will get hurt. But those who have lived once will always be at peace with themselves.
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