How much does the past truly impact the present? I would like to think from my personal experiences that it is possible to truly remove oneself from their past in ways that were detrimental to their growth as a human being. As the years pass, and they pass quicker than I ever thought they would, I can't help but notice how many people do not seem to be able to get over their past. From students to friends, girlfriends to family members, so many people hold on to things that were an old them - a them that is no longer really them, yet a them that they still hold onto for some peculiar reason.
It is not that I do not understand. There are things about my past that I could glorify or even just justify in any number of ways. Things that I would be able to look back upon and say, "Wow, those were the days." They weren't though. These are the days. Every day of my life is the day, the only day, that really matters. I worry regularly as to whether or not my words and actions really impact those people. If I have moved on successfully and act in such a manner does that mean that everyone else who acts in such a manner has also successfully moved on or have they just mastered the idea of pretending?
I want to believe that I can make a difference, I want to believe that nothing is set in stone. I want to believe that I can make the world better, that I can make a real impact on at least a small handful of people in the world. I'm not always sure though.
I hope that my existence makes at least someone realize in this world that it is possible to make your life what you want it while striving to make the lives of those around you brighter and more beautiful. Then and only then will I know that I am not fooling myself into believing that I, as one single solitary man, can make a difference.
By the way, Noah and the Whale are just wonderful, and so are these fellas;
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dFpwEF-KrVg