To Cling to, or to Escape the Past?

That is the question.

There was a time when I was faced with a dilemma of whether to cling to the past, or to escape it. There are those who say that the two are equally dangerous. I choose not to cling, but also not to escape. I think that to escape would just aggravate feelings of remorse particularly with harsh or painful pasts. Why? For me, it would be like a balloon blown until it cannot hold anymore the air that is pumped into it then it will explode.

I choose to face the consequences of the past. I try to realize the wrong that I did and try to correct or straighten whatever there is that needs smoothing down. But never would I cling to it as if my life depends on it.

There are those who cannot move on and blame themselves of things that were done which shouldn’t have been done. The ‘if only’ phrases seemed to be their consolation to the failures, or disappointments. And I think that will not help at all. No use crying over spilled milk.

I know it is not easy to dissociate our present from past breakdowns. It is because they are connected. The present outcome is a result of the past and there is no way to alter it. But there is something to be done. One can cherish the past or be inspired of it to make the present better.

The past is truly a part of each individual. It does not require us to cling to it because we must live in the present. It does not tell us to escape it because there is certainly no chance of escaping. It is a chunk that makes the whole of an individual.

I say if I was a part of an excruciating past, please forgive and don't brood.