Our Longing for The Past

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 Hindsight is a gift not many people have. It allows us to learn from our mistakes and maybe, hopefully, do better moving forward, whatever that may be. 

However, hindsight has a way of pulling us in. Making us stay with it rather than move past it. “What I could’ve done” is a question that haunts every single human being. Our present is washed away with thoughts of the past, and the future is barely given a second thought until it turns into ‘what was’. This is an endless loop of regret, and being unable to let go of the anchor buried deep within the beaches of the last island is what makes many people drown.

The widespread influence of this pandemic is obvious throughout history. Take the NBA, for example. When Michael Jordan was having his dominant reign over the league, everyone was saying the same thing: “Kareem was better”. Kareem’s peak was somewhere in the 1970s, and every old head was leaning towards him in the GOAT debate. Fast forward to 2025, where LeBron James has had the league in a choke hold for 22 years, and everyone is saying the same thing: “Jordan was better”.

The trend shows that around 20-30 years from now, another player will be put up against LeBron, and will face the same thing he did. “Bron was better”.

Keeping in touch with the past in the sense of nostalgia is helpful. It reminds us of good times, or bad times, and in some cases give us a much needed brick wall in the cyclone that is life.

Grabbing on to the past and refusing to let go in the sense of not moving forward in life is an ignorant way to live. It blinds us from seeing what is coming and only putting in focus what once was. It’s like driving but with only the rear view mirror. Can’t make much sense of whether to turn right or left, can you? And sooner or later, you will crash. It’s completely up to you whether you want to start looking ahead to save your life or keep looking back, refusing to acknowledge how stupidly you are driving your car.

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