Proverbs 4:25 teaches us,
Let your eyes look directly forward,
and your gaze be straight before you.
Wisdom and righteousness are always forward looking. These twin attributes do not dwell on the past, for that leads to bitterness and regret. Right now is important, but only insofar as right now is the first movement toward the future. The future is just the present that hasn’t happened yet, and therefore, unlike the past, the future is something we can control and change. The present is a downpayment on the future.
The more I ponder it, the wise person doesn’t even dwell too much on the right now. True, wisdom learns to enjoy the moment, but we never have all the information we need right now. In the future we will have more information, and that is when we make more informed opinions and thoughts. The mind is always adjusting and changing with new data. The wise person will choose the future over the present. Fools, by contrast, throw the future away and only live in the moment. Wise people plan for the future, enjoy the present, and learn to let go of the past.
- Wise people prepare. Fool are never prepared.
- Wise people dream. Fools squander opportunities.
- Wise people watch trends to see where people and things are headed. Fools wish for yesteryear.
- Wise people keep options open. Fools shut doors.
- Wise people don’t burn bridges. Fools keep matches in their pockets.
- Wise people “might” burn boats. Fools are afraid of change.
- Wise people learn how to forget. Fools never learn how to move on.
- Wise people don’t hold grudges. Fools have scores to settle.
- Wise people don’t waste time on nostalgia. Fools build monuments to the glory days.
- Wisep people use the past (history) to inform the future, not to shape it. Fools use the past as a template for the future.
Don’t waste energy by dwelling on the past. The future is where the action is.