The Past Is The Past

[Salvador Dali - Persistence of Time]

We thought we had made it through the darkness. We thought we had arrived on the other side. We thought we had escaped from the sad times.

I could have taken her hand at that point and everything could have changed. There are so many moments that could lead to regret, so many things that could have turned out differently. But, of course, the past is the past - unchangeable and irredeemable.

If the past was changeable, if we could alter what was into what we want it to be, then so much would change. The solidity, the existence of the past is pre-supposed through all our experience. Take away the solidity of what happened yesterday and then today will be altered beyond recognition and, possibly, beyond redemption.

I could have walked away then, but I chose not to. I do not want to look back at defeat and the disaster of moving away. Motion is not the answer. Time does not heal everything. Sometimes the memory is as painful as the actual moment, if not worse.

Remembering, always remembering. Perhaps we ought to try to remember less. Memories can paralyse.