The Past, Future, and Present!

Time is important. Be it the past, future, or present. Previous evidence only tells us so.

Marx tells us about his Historical Materialism, 

Heidegger, though troubled, deals with the future, 

and don’t forget Horace, teaching us ‘carpe diem’. 

Let us establish our fascination with time, and deliberate on how to best treat it.

Do we not feel it in our strangest sensations?

The strange presence of a false memory of the past in déjà vu;

how fun it is! To imagine imagined futures, getting into Exeter, and whatever you wish.

The slow ticking of the clock in your math class.

Do you not agree, my younger self, that time poses to us a wondrous institution?

Now, we must examine each state.

The past has both goods and bads.

We love to enjoy the nostalgia of an experience years past,

but this is only a facade for evil. For in all but extreme moderation, 

you will find nothing but wasted expectations for the pleasures of the past

On the other hand, regrets are where the true good of the past lies.

It can be bad, if you lay restless in your bed, with messy sheets,

unable to bear the cringe of years past. Yet it is only from a calm mind’s approach,

not unlike Aristotle’s Golden Mean, that we can find the lessons

worth every pain and shame within our regrets.

The future is similar. Wonder and hopeful expectation is good,

but only in moderation. Before long, your utopias will turn into dystopias,

where a grand vision becomes perverted and corrupted beyond all sense.

For this, I suggest being pragmatic. Hope for that which you may plan for,

so that you may be able to work towards it, without the blind faith of a wanderer in the desert.

Now we must look to the present, as confusing as it may be.

All these sensations are what we feel in the present moment.

The past and future are mere reflections of the present we live in.

So shouldn’t it be natural that the present is most important?

In fact, all other matters become irrelevant in the looming face of the present.

Every moment is an opportunity to right your regrets of the past,

while each also presents a chance to seize your ideal future.

So follow the wise words of the likes of Cornel West,

‘it is about being in [each moment], to put all your philosophizing into your actions in the now.’

So to you, my younger self, find your Golden Mean!

Work towards an achievable future, and learn from your mistakes.

When you learn, be sure to change in the present,

For this will lead you to whatever you wish.