Why Are People Obsessed With The Past?

[XxSupersonicLesbotronicxX]

Why are people obsessed with the past, diagnosis, illness, killing. Is it the thrill.
At one point I was obsessed with the past, it tore my appart got me diagnosed many things when I finally learned to let go of it after 2 years I felt so at peace.

If you have a story your holding onto? Why have you not let it go?
Or have you let it go?

This is kind of inspired, from when I had to do a project for college I looked up on youtube for a video and I only found violence and killing, suicide cutting it was horrible? I just didn't understand why people would constantly relive the most horrible memories and feelings of the past by documenting it in a movie??
( I do aknowlage that some have mental illness and am in no way saying it is easy to overcome)

So just give your story

EDIT just my opinion on some of your posts. Which I did enjoy reading smile

So, I am so glad I have gotten mature responsis . I did fail to mention good memories, yes they are good to hold onto. Yes, I do agree that some "live in the present" philosophies (exuse the spelling if its wrong) can be taken too far. And if not used properly can have some negative results .We must acknowlege the past to live in the present is my own opinion. But I have personally seen positive results when used effectivly. You are right the past can be a good thing. In my opinion though what I see here is when those horrible nightmares are revisited every single second of every day. YES the past does shape who you are , or who you were, but the present decides who you are today right? Yes, the past can build up a great resume for the present can't it.

[XxSupersonicLesbotronicxX]

I am in NO WAY saying what you feel is wrong.
I am not SAYING my opinion is right
and I am not JUDGING those who have not
I am just asking a question for a lengthy debate

[Inune]

People dwell on the past typically because of the emotions it evokes.

Some can dwell on it because it evokes positive emotions of fun times. Maybe they feel they aren't capable of recreating the happiness of those moments, or maybe they feel those around them aren't capable of recreating it, but they won't move on because of a fear that the happiness in the past, though transient, cannot be replicated.

Some dwell on the past because it evokes negative emotions. The reason here is, I think, that there exists some issue that was never resolved by the person. It might have been some catastrophic event that changed the person's world-view and they were never able to recover their former one. It might be because they feel just dropping the past issue to be a betrayal of themselves, another person, or some core principle they value highly. It might be, simply, that they need help working through the problem and no one ever helped them. The commonality, though, is that they feel a need to resolve something in the past and don't feel that just dropping the issue and moving on is good enough.

[a p h a z i a c]

Because the past effects the present and future. The past is what shapes whom you are. The peole that document these hardships are showing others that they can get through it too. They are the people that have been in hell and have touched it but did not give up. It takes a trip to hell to know heaven.

I agree that it is greatly unhealthy to live in the past, but to revisit it is okay.

[Cytoplasmic Wolf]

That is why I am anti-nostalgia. I don't see any good from remembering the past, good or bad. If it was bad you bring up all the bad memories and then you feel bad. If it is good you bring up all the good memories and miss them so you feel bad. Either way it is better just to live in the present.

I think people are so obsessed with the past because it is all we know. People are scared of what they don't know, that is human nature. Fact of the matter is we don't know what the future holds no matter how hard we plan. I think that scares some people so they hold onto the only thing they know, the past.

Although our scars remind us the past is real and we must learn from our mistake, the most important thing is to live in the present. In reality it is all we really have, so why not embrace it?

[Inune]

Cytoplasmic Wolf

Although our scars remind us the past is real and we must learn from our mistake, the most important thing is to live in the present. In reality it is all we really have, so why not embrace it?

On the other hand, "living in the present" is a philosophy championed by legions of hedonistic, unthinking half-wits - which has lead me to believe that, unless one first undergoes the travails of being burdened by the past/future, living without mind for the past or future is, for the common person, a sure-fire way to condemn oneself to a trite and meaningless existence.

[Your_Awesome_Therapist]

XxSupersonicLesbotronicxX

Why are people obsessed with the past, diagnosis, illness, killing. Is it the thrill.
At one point I was obsessed with the past, it tore my appart got me diagnosed many things when I finally learned to let go of it after 2 years I felt so at peace.

If you have a story your holding onto? Why have you not let it go?
Or have you let it go?

This is kind of inspired, from when I had to do a project for college I looked up on youtube for a video and I only found violence and killing, suicide cutting it was horrible? I just didn't understand why people would constantly relive the most horrible memories and feelings of the past by documenting it in a movie??
( I do aknowlage that some have mental illness and am in no way saying it is easy to overcome)

So just give your story

The past serves as a way to learn from faults, remember certain things that evoke fear in order to biologically be protected, etc.

People who cling to past negative events often have not found a way to psychologically explain it and/or acknowledge it.

[Cytoplasmic Wolf]

Inune

Cytoplasmic Wolf

Although our scars remind us the past is real and we must learn from our mistake, the most important thing is to live in the present. In reality it is all we really have, so why not embrace it?

On the other hand, "living in the present" is a philosophy championed by legions of hedonistic, unthinking half-wits - which has lead me to believe that, unless one first undergoes the travails of being burdened by the past/future, living without mind for the past or future is, for the common person, a sure-fire way to condemn oneself to a trite and meaningless existence.

How so?

[Inune]

Cytoplasmic Wolf

How so?

It's probably just a knee-jerk reaction on my part.

However, I've encountered less than a handful of people who adopted a "live for the present" philosophy out of a serious, contemplative philosophical pondering - and most of them are now dead and communicating only through literature. Further, I've found that those who do derive it from such an intellectual origin have typically spent much time dwelling on both the past and the future prior to turning towards the present. By contrast, the vast, vast majority of people I've ever encountered who adopt such a philosophy do so because they are simply incapable or unwilling to contemplate the future and past - it's not a form of enlightenment so much as it is a form of obliviousness, ignorance, or just plain mental incapacity.

Which isn't a claim as to whether or not you fall into either category as I don't know you, but my eye twitches a bit whenever I see those words and I have a hard time not saying something about it.

[Cytoplasmic Wolf]

Inune

Cytoplasmic Wolf

How so?

It's probably just a knee-jerk reaction on my part.

However, I've encountered less than a handful of people who adopted a "live for the present" philosophy out of a serious, contemplative philosophical pondering - and most of them are now dead and communicating only through literature. Further, I've found that those who do derive it from such an intellectual origin have typically spent much time dwelling on both the past and the future prior to turning towards the present. By contrast, the vast, vast majority of people I've ever encountered who adopt such a philosophy do so because they are simply incapable or unwilling to contemplate the future and past - it's not a form of enlightenment so much as it is a form of obliviousness, ignorance, or just plain mental incapacity.

Which isn't a claim as to whether or not you fall into either category as I don't know you, but my eye twitches a bit whenever I see those words and I have a hard time not saying something about it.

First off may I compliment you on your grammar, it is rather impressive and you seem like a person that I would get along with.

Maybe my point was contorted. I meant that we do have to grow and learn from our past and we do have to prepare for the future, but we can't let those two be the dominant parts of our lives. We have to focus on living in the present while multitasking. We have to focus on the here and now while still remembering the lessons learned in the past and preparing for the roads that lay ahead of us. We have to learn and prepare for before and later times but live in the present.

[XxSupersonicLesbotronicxX]

Inune

Cytoplasmic Wolf

Although our scars remind us the past is real and we must learn from our mistake, the most important thing is to live in the present. In reality it is all we really have, so why not embrace it?

On the other hand, "living in the present" is a philosophy championed by legions of hedonistic, unthinking half-wits - which has lead me to believe that, unless one first undergoes the travails of being burdened by the past/future, living without mind for the past or future is, for the common person, a sure-fire way to condemn oneself to a trite and meaningless existence.

actually its a concept created by budda who has been worshiped and looked up to all around the world... I don't think the elightened one was a half wit

[XxSupersonicLesbotronicxX]

Inune

Cytoplasmic Wolf

How so?

It's probably just a knee-jerk reaction on my part.

However, I've encountered less than a handful of people who adopted a "live for the present" philosophy out of a serious, contemplative philosophical pondering - and most of them are now dead and communicating only through literature. Further, I've found that those who do derive it from such an intellectual origin have typically spent much time dwelling on both the past and the future prior to turning towards the present. By contrast, the vast, vast majority of people I've ever encountered who adopt such a philosophy do so because they are simply incapable or unwilling to contemplate the future and past - it's not a form of enlightenment so much as it is a form of obliviousness, ignorance, or just plain mental incapacity.

Which isn't a claim as to whether or not you fall into either category as I don't know you, but my eye twitches a bit whenever I see those words and I have a hard time not saying something about it.

actually its not ignorance its being completely aware of what is going on in the present. To not be confined to the past or future, to understand that you ARE NOT your past or future you just are.. You are being , you are whatever you have become not just from all of the accomplishments you have made in your past or will do in the future.
Sure they do shape a bit of your perception of youself, but your soul is not shaped by what happens to you. Its with you your whole life, it is a light that will shine on forever.
Your mind, past, future has nothing to do with it.

That is what enlightenment is...
When you reach inner peace with yourself and you can see that in complete awarness in the present moment, it will allow you to truely appreciate your future.

Some people get this concept and warp it, or are scared by it. I mean who wouldn't be. OMG My mind is not me?! My past is not who I AM?!
However this concept which may be like a WTF for people who have had a just peachy past may be rather relieving to others.

As budda says Die before you die and discover there is no death.

[XxSupersonicLesbotronicxX]

I am sorry I have not posted in like forever.
thank you for all your posts
if you are at all more interested read the power of now by etkart tolle or a new earth smile
Hes pretty cool

[MIssLovelyPenguin]

people hold onto the past becuase it is hard to let go of the hardship that they may have faced and the strong emotions behind it are hard to ignore.

[xhanni-chanx]

hmm, the past is not an easy thing to let go. sometimes the past who make who we are now. But the past we should let go and move on. If you don't let go the past than forever more you stuck and you won't grow anymore. You just life in stress and so on. Let go and move on.