Living in Your Past vs. Remembering Your Past

There is a difference!

For those of you that have had a daunting past and have worked completely past it, I commend you. However, it's not that easy for everyone because some people's past have managed to leave scars that will be left until the day they die or only can heal through talking to someone like a therapist or a counselor. If you are seeing either of the two please know it does not mean you are crazy. It only shows that you are self aware and want to be a better person.

I do agree, though, that living in your past is not a good thing. It's means you are dwelling on it which can cause more pain and can damage you even physically. But if you are working thru your past it means you are putting it behind you. People on the outside especially close to you must understand you have an unfavorable past and to be supportive. If they love you they will happily do whatever they can for you to get past it.

All in all, everyone has gone thru something bad in their life. I think it's selfish if you find someone with a past worse than yours and you decide to drop them. People need people-- I believe. If they are not hurting you with your past then, empower them do not down them. Understand that a past can scar you and be sensitive to that.

I am writing this because I have a horrific past that I am still to this day trying to get thru and deal with. However, I don't drag people down with it either. I do let people know about my past, even people I decide to date so they can make the choice whether they want to deal with me or not. Deal with me meaning--- they will understand that I may not be very trusting of certain things, have low toleration for anything disrespectful, and maybe more aware of situations that arise than others. My past has left me a bit uneasy, some may say informally paranoid, and worrisome because I don't want to go thru pain anymore. It's something that I wake up everyday and try to fix. Tho people who get to know me realize my past has left me more emphathetic, understanding, unjudgemental, and caring toward other people's feelings.

In the past, I was chastised for my past and had it thrown in my face. Instead of this person loving me for who I am, my past included, I got badgered with uncaring and insensitive remarks. I want to be appreciated for still standing and being able to empower other people because of my past. I don't walk around like a bump on a log, I smile and laugh quite a bit tho I am scarred.

I am always going to remember my past, everyone who has a memory will and in a way it becomes apart of us. Because of that we will all act accordingly to certain situations in different ways than others. God gave us a memory for a reason-- not to relive but to build character. That's just a part of life.

If you put your hand on a hot stove and remember in the past that you got burned... are you going to do it again? We remember to learn lessons, that doesn't mean we are living in our past.


People who live in the past, in my opinion, tend to be evil, bitter, uncaring, and negative. They are also unable to move forward because they don't believe their is a bright future. They basically have lost hope.

They key is to learn to live with your past which means being able to forgive then it frees you to live past your past.

© Marika Bree. All Rights Reserved.