Past – Present – Future – What Will It Be?

Picture courtesy of Google.com

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When I read that quote, I remembered the entire story written by James Clavell. Shogun is named one of the best books ever written for a particular reason. I think I love it so much because it has taught me a few lessons—living in the present is only one of them.

Very often, when thinking back to the past, people get depressed, asking themselves, why did ‘that’ happen to me? Living in the past and feeling sorry for oneself doesn’t do anyone any good.

The past is the past, and it cannot be changed. Asking ‘what-if’ questions does not help anyone and only stresses us out. I’m no exception. To get better, I had to put the past behind me. In many ways, I manage quite well. Past events, relationships, and friends are past. The past makes us who we are.

The next thing I had to learn was not to fear the future. Nobody knows what’s going to happen next or how I say, ‘where the wind will blow me.’

Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present moment.

~ Buddha ~

Not fearing the future is not always easy, though. There are moments in my life when I’m the adventurer and jump into the future head first. In other moments, I feel stuck and not on the path I want to be. That does, indeed, make me feel a bit anxious. But there is that part of my past that built the strength in me. I had a good childhood, a fantastic Dad, a phenomenally gorgeous, and kind sister, and all that made me strong. So far so good.

Also, I remember something important: quotes aren’t only sayings from the famous or religious. I had a wise father, tell me

You might find yourself in situations you don’t want to be in. You might learn things you never wanted to know, and maybe you will discover that the path you’re walking on isn’t the right one. Don’t lose yourself in regret. Keep on walking—and change direction. And don’t forget to laugh! Your sense of humor is your strength. (No wonder, after all, you got it from me.)

~ A.J.’s Dad ~

Thinking about what my father said helps me not ruin the moment I live in. He was a pillar in my life, and in many ways, thanks to him, I’m still here.

Every one of us only has one life. There is no rehearsal, no repetition, and no competition either. Every decision we make has consequences, and we better take responsibility for them. There shouldn’t be regret. Nothing hurts more than at the end of the day (or life) than the regret we feel about missed opportunities.

Because I’m me, there is this one little rebellious thought in the back of my head… the voice of mischief, which I hear in my head…

At times, I might not have made the best decisions in my life, and sometimes, I even took a couple of detours. But I reached a few of my goals, fulfilled a couple of my dreams, and I don’t have to regret anything. The best thing is, I was never bored, even once.

~ A. J. Alexander ~

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About James Clavell

James Clavell was born on October 10, 1921, in Sydney, New South Wales, as Charles Edmund Dumaresq Clavell. He was a film and TV writer and producer. During World War II, he was a British soldier and a Japanese prisoner on Java and in Singapore, which led to his great interest in things East Asian and Japanese, and the experiences of prisoners of war.

Clavell is very well-known for “The Great Escape” (1963), “The Satan Bug” (1965), “King Rat” (1965), “To Sir, with Love” (1967), “Tai-Pan” (1986), “Noble House” (1988), and especially “Shogun” (1980). Shogun won the Golden Globe Award for Best TV-Series – Drama and the Emmy Award for Outstanding Limited Series: James Clavell (executive producer).

Clavell was married to April Stride, and they were parents of two children. He died on September 7, 1994, in Vevey, Vaud, Switzerland.

(Source: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0165412/bio/)