Speech On Hindsight

Buddha, a man who devoted himself to years of contemplation and self-denial, once said “do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present moment”. Thinking too much about times gone by typically keeps your mind stuck in neutral. Existing in an earlier life could result in revisiting feelings of anger, guilt, resentment, sorrow, or shame. Obsessing about the people and events precipitating such negative feelings can lead to endless rethinking. Becoming increasingly lifeless, or infatuated, thinking really cannot progress toward any resolution. Ultimately, it is pointless to employ memory to hold onto what may have been lost many years ago. As a result of not letting go of the past, it is possible to be robbed of present opportunities. Often, in many novels the characters are still dwelling on their past in the present. In The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, the author demonstrates how George Wilson and Jay Gatsby are held hostage by their pasts with little hope for their futures.

The Past, an ever growing pool of time, is always biting at the heels of a person. It reminds him of what they have done wrong, done right, or when he did nothing. For most people, recalling the past leads to loose ends and blanks where memories should be. No matter how much a person may want to return to the past, it is not possible. It is lost forever. These forgotten moment lead to uncertainties and confusion in the present, and chaos in the future. Forgetting the past leads to spirals, spinning downwards as people look to what they have lost. They retrace their steps hoping to find a sliver of who they are and what may become of them. In the poem, Itinerary, Eamon Grennan shows how an individual searches through his past, but can never return to it. Through the poem and with a personal experience I will explain how individuals deal with uncertainties in their pasts.

The strongest images that I’ve encountered is in the feature article of Orphans Give Indian Couple Will To Live; 2004 Tsunami Killed Their Son, 2 Daughters when the author of this feature article, Saikh Azizur Rahman, was describing how on the morning of the day after Christmas, Mr. Paramesvaran was taking his 3 children, all whom which were from ages 5-12, and his wife’s relatives to a stroll in the beach. They were tossing a Frisbee on the beach when the sea turned hostile. When I read that paragraph describing how Mr. Paramesvaran and his family are enjoying themselves, it helps me envision a happy family in such a beautiful scene as the beach and still foreshadowing that something horrible was going to happen to the warm-loving family. This image is important because it teaches us all that we should try our best to enjoy the times we spend together with our family, especially a family like the Paramesvaran. That is what made this image so memorable to me.

Often times we find ourselves thinking about the past only to try to force the memories away and return to our current delusion. We can never erase the past, but if the past is who we are, then should we just welcome pain back into our lives? Embarrassment, guilt, and pride betray us as we choose to bury our darkest memories in our head and look to a positive future without ever having to readdress them and acknowledge that they had ever happened in the first place. Thinking back now my weakest moment caught me by complete surprise.

As you grow older, you also become wiser, and the way you used to look at things also changes, and even though you regret your former actions, you will have to live with how it turned out, instead of being stuck in the past and how it could had been.

Webster’s dictionary defines hindsight as “the ability to understand, after something has happened, what should have been done or what caused the event”. It is a fair assumption that most people understand the old adage “hindsight is always 20/20”; alluding to the fact that, in our everyday lives, we as humans make decisions based on what we know, what seems right and occasionally what makes our lives easier. The average person does not have the mental capability to consider every possible outcome that a choice will have on his entire life, all within the thought process that leads him to reach a conclusion, however long and detailed that process may be. If we add massive amounts of pressure, contradictory advisement, the lives of

As human beings that regret past moments, we often have the urge to try to reverse our mistakes by reliving the past. Unfortunately, as learned from The Great Gatsby we must leave the past in the past and live in the present, as attempting to relive the past is impossible. Gatsby, a man who hoped to attain his love, Daisy, through fixing the past promises, “I’m going to fix everything just the way it was before” (Fitzgerald 117). This hope of Gatsby’s was impossible, as Daisy had changed and moved on with her life, which resulted in Gatsby’s inability to obtain Daisy. So, remembering to live in the present allows for us to leave behind the moments of regret in the past which allows us to avoid demise similar to

In the “Photo-Cultural-Ecological Journey” activity I learned that everyone is shaped and molded occurring to their experiences in life. I was able to perceive that regardless of how good or bad your experiences were, it serves as a life map and provides a picture of where you once were and where you are headed. The five pictures I choose to present identify personal perspective in my life. It categorized and acknowledged different parts and milestones in my life, where a lesson was learned in every step of the way.

Past, Present, Future During the 20’s, money ruled the desires of all men and encouraged indulgences, spending, and the theme of life was to live it to the fullest. Thus, it wasn’t abnormal to see those spending the money try to forget and lose interest in their past and future. But it’s crucial for a human being to reflect on their past and also keep a look out for their future because the present is not only a time to enjoy life but also a time to prepare for the rest of it. Not learning from your mistakes guarantees that you will repeat them and not expecting the future will leave you unprepared for the changes it brings.

As acclaimed author Yvonne Woon wrote, “Sometimes, you have to look back in order to understand the things that lie ahead.” Reflecting, or the act of thinking deeply about a moment from the past, the present, or the possibility of such an event in the future, is an important aspect of human nature, as it serves as a method of learning and as an example of evolution. By reflecting on the modern and historical world, we are able to obtain a deeper understanding of why and how certain things happen, and then decide whether or not we are satisfied with the environment in which we live. Contemplating all the decisions that have been made and all the different circumstances our ancestors have lived through, can serve as guidance for the future.

You may have heard me say, “It’s better to aim for the stars and miss, than to aim for a pile of crap and hit it.” The original saying is from Michelangelo. He said, “The greater danger for most of us is not that our aim is too high and we miss it, but that it is too low and we hit it.”

Past, present and future are all important to keep in perspective. Looking back and not having regrets is extremely satisfying. Your current situation and your contentment with it are also very important, and having goals and milestones to work toward in the future keeps you motivated and keeps life interesting and challenging.

Everyone experiences adversity. Challenges that everyday people experience can potentially shape, improve, or destroy one's sense of self and personality. Through all these hardships and seemingly impenetrable obstacles, the most pertinent component of one's ability to overcome can only be shown in actions taken despite the odds. People have one of two options; to let those obstacles overwhelm them and keep them from pursuing all that they were destined to accomplish, or to march forward, fight harder and push past the seemingly impossible circumstances to become greater than they ever expected to be, but until they take the step that enables them to be successful -- they are stranded. All of our actions, mistakes, successes, and behaviors shape our person and what we can or cannot become, but what will always matter is our individual decisions and actions not those of the people around us because at the end of the day, we are the ones who have to deal with ourselves.

So, today we are in New Year 2016 and I hope everyone has their own new year resolutions or goals, such as thin people wish to gain weight, fat people wish to lose weight, some wish to spend less to become rich so that they can spend more, and some they wish to quit bad habits. So, I would like to wish good luck for your resolutions to be achieved.

A famous saying by Al Franken goes like “Mistakes are a part of being human. Appreciate your mistakes for what they are: precious life lessons that can only be learned the hard way. Unless its a fatal mistake, which, at least, others can learn from.” I think mistakes are necessary. It shapes you to become a better, wiser and a stronger person who is prepared to face further challenges as well.