Recently someone ‘accused’ me that I despise everything about the past. There is absolutely no use explaining to them or trying to correct their misconception because they have made up their mind about me and are not going to change it whatever I say.
But I am putting it out here for clarity, mostly my own sake.
Nope. It is not the past that I dislike. It is the way some (or most?) people in the present believe that anything and everything from the past is perfect. No it wasn’t. Not at all. They in the past were humans like us and lived as best as they could according to their times. They were not super humans as some people like us to believe.
What I disapprove of, and have many times spoken up against, is the way people cling to beliefs and ideas that have been disproved donkeys years ago. (One example among many: People who still think you should not go out in the open during eclipse because of the poison in the atmosphere). More than the clinging itself (they can believe whatever they want), what I dislike is how they want to propagate those beliefs among the newer generations, how they try to pretend there was something the older generation knew that maybe we aren’t aware of, in spite of evidence to the contrary. “Who needs evidence anyway… vishwasam, athalle ellaam?”
You see the difference?
It is not that the past was all bad, or that the present is all perfect. It is the passing off of the disproved ideas of the past as wisdom to the present that I dislike. It is the influencing and indoctrination of new generations with useless old beliefs and ideas that I raise my voice against, very passionately I must say. What’s more, I will continue to do so, but only if you come to me with tales of the ‘great’ past especially (while happily yourself using all the modern advancements at your disposal) You see, it is well within my right to act quite unlike a sheep even while living among them, something the sheep have a hard time accepting.
Anyways, in conclusion, that does NOT in any way equate/translate to ‘hating everything past’. I believe everything has its place. We build upon the past, not go and live there. Also, if you’d like me to keep mouth shut, don’t talk to me. Yup, it’s a fair warning. 😉
© Shail Mohan 2022
Shail's Nest 
Well put!
Thank you, Anne.
Absolutely!
Thank you, Mick.
Over here it’s more like the present (or near past) that people cling to despite all the contrary evidence. Like Boris Johnson was a good prime minister, for instance… 😀
Haha 😛
I could fall on your shoulder and cry. My thoughts are the same about the past.. on an objective scale with regard to beliefs, practices etc., no doubt, but also on a highly subjective and near-past time scale.
My better-half has so many romantic stories to tell of his past, and I am usually at a loss because well, not that my past was not good, it just does not have the same ring of romanticism to it. Maybe I just don’t have that romanticism in me. Or maybe I just had a boring life. Still, I can’t believe someone’s past could be that rosy and exciting – I simply can’t believe it.
The past – both mine and the general objective past – has never held too much appeal to me. Like you said, I don’t hate the past, but I see nothing to cling on to. I’d rather live now.
I hear you! I’d rather live now too!