There are many different lines of thought when it comes to which way, we should be looking in life.
Maybe that’s why we get confused when trying to understand how a radio telescope (and the science that goes with it) works. It needs to look back in order to provide context and insight into our future.
Many will tell you that the only to look is ahead, while others will say that you need to reflect on you past in order to understand who you are.
So, in order to not be biased, I’ll look briefly at both and see what’s what.
Let’s start with those forward thinkers
Knowing where you want to be and having a plan on how to get there is vital to living a fulfilling life.
And while long ahead will stop you from tripping on a dodgy piece of footpath, it’s also incredibly powerful for maintaining a positive mindset.
Everything you are yet to experience is ahead of you and if you’re not looking in that direction, you might miss something important.
Looking ahead is also critical to establishing meaningful goals and, just as importantly, achieving them. Our goals and ambitions don’t live in the past or present, they only exist in the future.
So, in brief looking ahead will get you where you need to go.
Your past is but a memory
There’s nothing wrong with looking back at your life and questioning it.
We can all find an outfit that we wore that makes it obvious that we really weren’t thinking like a sane person at time. If you don’t have a photo of you wearing happy pants to a party, then you haven’t lived at all!
Additionally, looking back at out past allows us to apply hindsight at those critical moments in our life. We’re able to see the flow on effect it has had and whether it actually was the right decision.
These are all incredibly powerful things (including the happy pants). But they are only useful when we must have healthy mindset to go with it.
To look back into our past will lead us to recognising some old demons and revisiting some of our fuck ups. In order to look at these things objectively and without bias. If you can’t do this, then leave your past be and keep moving forward.
I’m serious about this. Too many people dwell on the past looking for meaning that isn’t there. Your meaning is in your future, not your past.
Your past should be used as your driving force, your motivation if you will. If your past was crap, then use that to make you future better. If you had a good past, then you should honour that by continuing to have a good future.
Why not both?
Yes, just like that little girl that solved all the worlds Taco problems in a 30 second ad, why not both?
There is value in recognising the broad spectrum of both you past and your future.
You can’t do fuck all about changing you past, unless you have a highly modified DeLorean, so you might as well use it to help you with your future.
Likewise, if you only look forward, on some sort of relentless pursuit. You’ll struggle with tracking progress and recognising how far you’ve come if you don’t look back every now and then.
So, maybe it’s a matter of both your past and future working together in the present.
Maybe they aren’t in completion with each other.
Maybe there is no looking ahead vs looking back.
‘til next time….. Cheers!