I Believe in Learning from the Past

Posted in WPSU’s This I Believe, 2010-09-02

I believe in learning from the past. We wouldn’t be who we are now without it. Each moment in time affects us in some way.

A couple of years ago I had a teacher who really changed me. When I entered his class I didn’t try very hard. But he showed me everything I could accomplish and how to do it. By expecting the best of me, he gave me confidence and made me more responsible. After being in his class I felt like I could do anything, (including write this) which made me feel like I had a greater purpose in my life.

Sometimes the past not only affects your personality, it also affects your appearance. Several years ago a friend dared me to climb a pile of cinder blocks. The blocks toppled over and cut my leg. Now I have a scar from it. I’ve learned to be more careful.

Talent is often earned through time and dedication. I used to hate skiing. My parents had to drag me to the ski hill. But over the years I’ve come to love skiing. When I was little, all I did was the snowplow slowly down the bunny slope. Now I can race down double black diamond runs. One time when I was in Vermont I went straight down a hill with a 75° slope (that might be a mild exaggeration.). It was much more exhilarating and fun than slowly chugging down the hill in my first years of skiing. But I had to go through that learning stage to get where I am now. I wouldn’t be able to walk, much less ski down a hill without the past.

If you don’t learn from the past, it will most likely repeat itself. Once when I was little, I absentmindedly left my shoe untied. I tripped on the lace and fell down a flight of concrete stairs. Luckily, I didn’t break anything. Even after my fall, I continued to leave my shoes untied for some time. Then a few months later, I almost fell down another set of stairs but managed to catch myself. It took two near calamities, but I finally learned to tie my shoes, through the lessons of the past.

The past isn’t always pleasant. Sometimes you regret the past. Everyone has some painful or embarrassing moment they’d like to forget. The past can hurt – emotionally and physically. But even the bad memories can teach us positive lessons.

I believe we learn a lot from the past. Without the past I wouldn’t be who I am today. And you wouldn’t be who you are. We are all formed by what happens to us in life and how we react to it.

I’m Dizzy, not literally, and this I believe.

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