How To Stop Torturing Yourself With Past And Future: An Easy And Wise Decision

Memories of the past and fear of the future can greatly poison our lives. An obsession with this makes it difficult to focus on everyday tasks, enhances anxiety, which negatively affects the quality of our lives.

But few people know that the great philosopher Arthur Schopenhauer as early as the middle of the 19th century proposed a very simple and wise solution that could alleviate this torture. In this article we will tell more about him.

Classical philosophers and modern psychologists insist that we need to learn to live in the present, not to torment ourselves with memories of the past and fear of the future. For example, Seneca wrote: “Only the present is true and real, the time is really now, and only in it our being flows. Therefore, one should always be friendly to himself, and, therefore, consciously enjoy every minute, free from troubles and pain; such moments should not be overshadowed by regret over unfulfilled dreams or worries about the future.” But how to do that? We understand this with our minds, but how to make the brain work in the right direction so as not to overshadow the only real time that we have - the present? And here again it is better to turn to the great minds.

Seneca also said that "every day is a new life." Schopenhauer developed this idea: “Every day is life in miniature: waking up and rising are birth, every fresh morning is youth, and falling asleep is death.” If you try to treat every day with the attention it deserves, it will shine with new colors. Just imagine: every day is a new life! New! And in the evening it will end. That's all, the day is gone, it dies. So what is there to regret about it? In the morning there will be another newborn life, which again ends in the evening. So why bother with it in advance? There is only one day - always and everyone has only one day. 

Schopenhauer especially highlights the morning of the day, because this is the youth of life. Just imagine - every day we live the youth of life, regardless of our age! And every day we “die” falling asleep, which is also good - because every day we have a chance to start life anew - after all, tomorrow morning will be born again. “For all ages, stages, and states without exception, both mental and physical, the most suitable time is morning. Morning is the youth of the day - everything is joyful, cheerful and easy; we feel strong and our abilities work at their best. “You should not shorten it by getting up late, or spend it on insignificant thoughts or chatter, but see in it the quintessence of life, see it as something sacred.”