Those Who Do Not Remember the Past are Condemned to Repeat it.
— George Santayana
Knowing who you are and what your about is essential. Your life should be an accurate reflection of that fact unfortunately not many of us spend the time or effort to find out. It's one thing knowing who you are and another living it. Well, let’s start with one thing
at a time, Knowing Who You are.
Essayist, philosopher, and novelist George Santayana said, those who do not remember the past are condemned to repeat it.
I believe that.
The More You Know About Your past the better you are at kicking ass
Nobody arrives at this very moment in time without a past.
I know a little bit about other peoples past. I create them all the time because we writers call it story development.
Authors and actors know a lot about the benefits of knowing your character's backstory. If you want a role to come alive whether on the page or the stage give them a solid origin and history. Another thing great actors or authors realize is when using backstory effectively, they can predict the characters evolution.
In our life story, our backstory can do the same. I know I talk about living in the moment and that still applies, but we still need to learn the lessons from our past because it can make our future better. There are aspects of our past life we just don’t talk about. But it’s there, and it affects our here and now even though it’s buried beneath layers of life experiences. So let’s look back on the life we’ve lived - I do it once a year, not with regret but a dispassionate eye so we may learn
the lessons being taught and apply them to the life we live now.
I see the effects of backstory in my own life all the time. Sometimes I find myself getting overwhelmed by the great writing talent that is out there in the world. I start questioning what I’m capable of achieving and start comparing myself with others.
Not a good way to spend your time but thankfully it never lasts.
My backstory kicks in as a way to explain those actions, and I begin to understand why. My mom came from a poor but loving family. She never learned to read throughout her life, but crazily she wanted the best for me especially educationally. The burden of being the first in my family in so many different areas had me wanting to excel in everything. And when I didn’t, I felt like was letting her down.
Looking back over the highs and lows of my backstory, I’ve come to understand especially in this instance that I’m unique and only I can write the things I write in the way I write them. There’s only one of me and comparison are pointless.
Only when I look back and take notes to remind myself of things that have happened in my history that I can see the interconnectedness of the past and the present. And more importantly how I can make decisions and choices in the moment that are informed by my history.
My backstory tells me I’m strong and capable even if I have to dig deep into my Timeline to provide the proof. If you look its there, just don't use it as a means of putting yourself down. It's information to make you better. That's what it's there for.
Your past doesn’t determine your future, but it does inform it.
- Jeff Goins, author, The Art of Work
Written by G. Willow Wilson Art by CAFU Cover by Joshua Middleton A Justice Leaguer rediscovers her own heritage in this collection of the 5-issue VIXEN minseries. When the JLA discovers a startling truth about the death of Vixen's mother, it sets her on the road back to her homeland to confront her own past.
Peace, love and Power & Kwa Heri, Kings and Queens
P.S Would you be so kind to take 2 minutes to leave me a quick review on any of my books below that you have read? It would help immensely. Thank you.
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