
Someone once asked me if my airplane had a rear view mirror. While it might be useful for keeping an eye on the kids in the back seats, there’s really no need for one. Most planes don’t have rear windows, and the ones that do, the windows are so small, there’s not much to see out the back. So, no rear view mirrors in airplanes.
But when the question was asked, a story came to mind that a friend used every time he’d set off on a new exploit. This friend never cared if his last venture went awry, he only cared that his next one had his undivided attention. He’d always relay that the early race car drivers, the ones that raced cross-country, would rip out their rear view mirrors and fling them out the window before the start because they didn’t need to see where they’d been, only where they were going.
I don’t know the legitimacy of this story, but if it’s not true, well… it ought to be. It ought to be because it’s a great reminder that we need to do the same thing in life, to rip out that rear view mirror we have stuck in our heads. How many of us own one, angled to reflect the past so we can analyze it, wonder what would have happened had we chose the right fork instead of the left, ponder how different our lives would be now if we had possessed the guts years ago to chase our dream versus settle for a steady paycheck? We lament how much time has passed and are paralyzed to move toward the dream now because we’re so far behind where we could have been.
Or, even worse, how many of us have that rear view mirror pointed squarely at ourselves so we can judge the person looking back at us? We scold ourselves, question the decisions we’ve made, point out the potential we’ve squandered, feel shame for the times we took the easy way out.
The truth is, our futures are as bright as we want them to be, brighter than we could ever expect. We just can’t see it sometimes because that rear view mirror is blocking most of the sunlight filtering through our windshield, showing dark clouds as if they’re a barometer of the weather ahead of us versus what they really are: a reflection of what’s behind us. When our field of vision contains that dark mirror, it’s easy to decide that turbulent times are all that are in store on our path ahead. But they’re not. The real journey of our lives is still ahead of us, no matter what happened before. And we all have more control over the outcome than we’d like to believe.
I once watched a dark, disturbing film, which is not my typical fare, but there was one line in it, a beacon of truth and hope that, for me, made the whole movie worth watching:
“Every passing moment is another chance to turn it all around.”
Chase your dreams. Your future is bright. Don’t cloud it up by looking backward.
Update
on 2010-09-12 15:36 by Christopher Laney
A friend and I were discussing the post and he agreed that we shouldn’t look back, except to seek the wisdom and lessons learned from past events. He made a fine observation, however, my perspective is that the wisdom and lessons are actually part of who we are now.
Hi, appreciated your thoughts about not looking back and having a positive view towards the future. I think though that there is a case to be argued that it is in using both the past and the future that we are able to function most helpfully in the present. When you drive a car your eyes are meant to flick to the rear (and side) view mirror in order to see what is coming. 95% (?) of the front windscreen is taken up with glass which allows you to look at where you are going. The combination of the two allows you to make decisions in the present about speed, lane changing etc….if you change lanes without looking behind and there’s a big ol’ truck up your bumper….well, you see where that’s going!
For me the past is full of signposts – some good, some bad but they all help me make directions in the present or where i want to be in the future. Of course we don’t know what the future is going to bring, so we need access to some resources to help us on the way – we find them in the past as well as in present situations. The collected wisdom (and follies) of others is a great resource.
Finally, sometimes we do need to revisit the past (and sometimes the past revisits us!) because we all have baggage that we carry around with us and it can be sweet relief to finally lay it to rest and discover a new sense of our identity, and one day we will look back at that as a signpost to help us along the way.
God bless
Vanilla Sky
When we live in present moment awareness we’re living with heightened senses. We’re awake to the many miracles all around us, all the time. We can find joy in peeling an orange: filling our nostrils with the sweet and tangy fragrance, feasting our eyes on the brilliant fiery color, coating our fingers with the sticky and succulent juice. The orange is a gift, and we are blessed. When we are grateful, we are in the moment, and life is good!
How many golden moments have gone by while we were worrying about the future or fretting about the past? If these moments were our nourishment, how well fed would we be? Now is the time, this is the moment, to begin living in present moment awareness. Before we starve ourselves, let us partake of each moment as if it were a divine delicacy, because that is exactly what it is!
Another great post Chris….Bravo!
Beautifully written and well said. As I read your post, I felt like you were speaking directly to me….I cried. I have so many reasons to look back, but more reasons to look forward. It’s hard not to revisit the mistakes and missed opportunities….no happiness ever comes from it. I will keep your post to read often. Thanks for sharing!
Love this! Very nice…just right on! I’ll be following…
So many times I’ve been driving on the highway when I realize that I’ve been looking primarily in the rearview mirror the whole time! This is, sadly, a reflection of how I live my life at times — always looking at the past for some sort of answer. We need to look where we are going or, better yet, be present in our own lives, where we are at that very moment.
Hmmmm….Then how do the best pilots put on their makeup?
Although a little dark and disturbed, I don’t have a clue on the movie but check out the lyrics of this exceptional tune: http://www.lyricsfreak.com/b/boston/dont+look+back_20023073.html AND/OR if you care to jam out: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GIGTrVQLyR4
My philosophy is that life is like a school house. If you don’t get it right, God will let you repeat that experience. If you think about what went wrong the first time, then you will choose to address the issue in a different way. For example, If you go to a bar to meet your special guy…and he turns out to be an alcoholic who makes your life miserable. After the divorce, will you go back to the bar to meet you "next special guy" or will you persue a special interest and persue that to meet someone who has a silmilar interest?
Kudos to anyone that can name the movie WITHOUT searching the internet. 🙂