The C.A.T. Principle – Global Ebook Awards GOLD & SILVER Winner for Best Self-Help Non-Fiction Ebook of 2014 & 2016

Part I: The Past and What Memories Mean…

Last week, we witnessed another Remembrance Day (Veterans Day in the US) and took time to recall the sacrifice made by veterans for the freedoms we enjoy. It’s right to pay homage to those that served their country bravely, often sacrificing their lives, and it’s right to bring those memories alive from a distant past and sometimes not-so-distant past.

People tell us not to live in the past. Yesterday is gone, the present is here and the future awaits, they say. But it’s as much a part of our lives as the present or future may be. Without it and the memories derived from it, we’re no different than robots on auto-pilot without history and significance. Memories give meaning to life. They’re the fuel, good or bad, that propel us forward with purpose, or drag us down with despair.

It’s prudent to recognize the power of the past. In a physical sense it disappears; in a metaphysical one it lingers. Consciously and subconsciously, it impacts who and what we are. It drives our core being and, depending upon our response, determines our fate.

Jamaican political leader and publisher Marcus Garvey (1887-1940) stated that “A people without the knowledge of their past history, culture and origin is like a tree without roots.” And as we all know, a tree without roots falls at the first sign of wind.

We must view our lives in the same way. The past isn’t some place we reside, but it’s something we carry. Whether sorrow or pain, happiness or joy, it’s something we tote. Like a tree with roots, it grounds our being. Neglect it, and we neglect who we are; neglect who we are, and we neglect our existence. We become the rootless tree, vulnerable to whim and susceptible to vagary.

It’s fundamental to understand that the past must be recognized for what it is. We can’t sugar coat it nor can we denigrate it, lest we tarnish it. Truth is the guide to seek it, and although it’s not always easily discerned (see Truth: The Elusive Jester…), it’s critical we unabashedly pay it heed. We can’t expect the present nor the future to be better, when we deceive ourselves about the past.

Each year brings more memories and deepens our past. The clock ticks and stops for no one. The memories may fade, but the past remains in all its glory and lowliness. Do we forget it or do we embrace it? Choose the former and we risk futility; choose the latter and we strengthen understanding. For it’s how we treat the past that determines our present, and it’s in the present where our future is made…

Next time Part II: The Present and Being in it…

For more check out the Global Ebook Awards GOLD & SILVER Winner of 2014 & 2016, The C.A.T. Principle: Change, Action, Trust – Words to Live By available at Amazon and Barnes & Noble. See the latest Amazon reviews here.

Sign up above and receive this blog once every two weeks to your inbox. Comments and thoughts welcome.

A 2014 Global Ebook Awards GOLD Winner for Best Self-Help Non-Fiction Ebook.

A 2016 Global Ebook Awards SILVER Winner for Best Self-Help Non-Fiction Ebook.