I used to believe that our past doesn’t define us. Due to the neuroplasticity of our brain, can’t we rewire our neurons and create a better version of ourselves? That’s true to a certain extent, depending on how ingrained the thought pattern is. The concoction of genetics and environments presents a version of reality that we hold true until we are confronted by counterfactuals that challenge our reality. When challenged, we either dig deep and stand our ground or perhaps more difficult, explore an alternative reality.
As we experience more of the world, our cognitive creativity gives way to cognitive optimizations as we find ways to get to better decisions while using less computational resources. With sufficient iterations, we exploit over explore when similar situations arise. Our past does define us, and more often than not, it reveals itself in the subconscious, it is the inception to the conscious experience who will justify it by confirming events of the reality.
Giving the wheel to our past is soothing; reliving our past pleasant experiences provide a sense of protection amidst the future unknowns. Why then can’t we stop time and stay in the past? Why is it that time only moves forward? What if we start life at the very end and move from old age to adulthood, teens to infancy? How would our perceptions of life change knowing that we started as a whole, losing parts of us forever as we go back in time?
The future is not completely unknown. There are some truths we know will continue to hold true – the laws of physics, the love of those who gave life to us, the disappointment of rejection, the exuberance of undeserved attainment. There is also possibility, potential and promise that we will and we can make the future a bit better from our vantage point.
The unknowns present a chance of novelty. The curious mind often wanders in the direction of the less traveled. What if the path leads to treasures and rewards untold? What if the journey brings together unlikely companions? For the adventurers, nothing is as invigorating as the freshness of a new adventure. While there is a risk of peril, for the prepared, what could be gained surpasses what could be lost.
Finally, we reach the present, the gift of the moment. It doesn’t matter if there’s much ahead of us or behind us, we all share the same present. Grab it, treasure it, hold it closely. It’s never too late to make changes for the future or to reconcile the past. While our past defines us, we also can define our future.
References
Siang Khor 