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Brian Liu
Ms. Nation
AP English III
14 November 2016

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One of the most inspirational quotes that I have had heard is one by Michael Jordan which speaks about failure and his outlook on it, ‘I’ve failed over and over and over again, and that is why I succeed’ (Jordan).

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Michael Jordan "Failure" Nike Commercial

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Now think about this, what would have happened if Jordan dwindled on the past, what would have happened to one of the greatest basketball players if he had allowed himself to be engulfed by the failures of his past? Although it is important to reflect on the past, getting stuck in the past will cause you to be consumed by past events and prevent the progress of the present. Although the past does continue to live on in the present to some extent, individual efforts can be made so that the present is not predetermined by the past. This does not necessarily mean, however, that the past is unimportant. Kierkegaard would agree that the past should be utilized as a catalyst to change the present. This idea of using the past to help develop the present is commonly seen in the world of sports, as well as cultural references from movies such as The Lion King.

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Personally, I have had moments in life where the past seemed to haunt and follow me. Playing football, I have had my share of bad plays and missed tackles. These failures haunted me, and I struggled with accepting them for awhile. But I realized that if I sulked around because of this, I would never develop. So instead of reminiscing on the past, I decided to do something about it and work on not making the same mistake again. Eventually, the image of me messing up left my mind as I continued to grow in the present. Personally, this was an example of how the past was able to help develop the present, and how I did not allow the past to determine what my present will be.

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NFL quarterbacks are another example of how the past does eventually become less obvious in the present and how you can change it yourself. When a quarterback throws an interception, they first think about why they did it and how it happened. The quarterback then goes back and re-watches the play to see what went wrong and how it can be changed. In as little as 5 minutes, the quarterback is back in the game throwing passes again. Quarterbacks in this scenario learn to let go of the past and instead learn from it to help make the present better. They must forget about what just happened and continue on with the game if they are to perform well. By letting go of what just happened, the quarterback’s mistake in the past is becoming less relevant, but the knowledge that is gained from reflecting on the past remains intact in the present. This can also be applied to real life situations such as getting a bad grade on a test. Just because you get a bad grade on a test does not mean that your future is predetermined, your actions after the test like studying more for the next one, is what you can do to change the present. How you decide to change and your actions will be what ultimately determine the present.

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Some may argue that the past does directly and continuously affect the present and that they remain relevant throughout the present, this is supported by the idea that the actions of our past determine our present because of its lasting effects. Although this is somewhat true, the past does not remain vivid in the present forever, and will eventually die off. For example, some people say that slavery will forever affect us because of how influential it was in our past, and its influence continues to live on today as racism. Although this may be true, studies from the National Geographic have actually shown that in fifty years, the appearances of people will begin to slowly morph closer until you can no longer identify what race a person is (Norris). This shows that although the past may seem very relevant and significant in the present day, there will be a time where the past will no longer be as relevant as it once was. Our future also does not solely rely on our past, and we do have the power to change it. By making decisions, such as letting go of our failures, we can change the life we are living.

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There are also some cultural references, specifically The Lion King, that agree with the viewpoint of past not being in the present forever. One scene in the Lion king references to past, present, and future, which is the scene where Rafiki and Simba talk about the past. In this scene, Rafiki hits Simba with his stick and Simba responds with why he did that. Rafiki then responds to Simba saying,“It doesn’t matter, it’s in the past.”. Here Rafiki is explaining how the past will not remain forever, and that it will eventually go away and be forgotten. Simba then responds to Rafiki saying that being hit still hurts, Rafiki replies,“Oh yes, the past can hurt. But the way I see it, you can either run from it, or learn from it” (Anderson). Rafiki nails the point here by showing how instead of dwindling in the past, you should learn from it instead, which will help develop the present. This conversation between Simba and Rafiki brings out the deeper meaning of the past, and explains how quickly the past can leave us and present will progress.

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Lion King - What did you do that for - the past can hurt

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It has been proven over and over again, through various people, sports analogies, and cultural references that the past will not remain forever and that it will eventually disappear. The past does not remain in the present forever, eventually being changed by our actions and thoughts. So where do you stand right now, hiding in the past or living in the present?

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Anderson, Amy Rees. "People CAN Change Their Past -- Put Mistakes Behind You." Forbes, 15 May 2013. Accessed 30 Oct. 2016.

Ghogomu, Mbiyimoh. National Geographic Predicted What Americans Will Look Like In 2050. Digital image. The Higher Learning. The Higher Learning, 13 Apr. 2014. Web. 12 Nov. 2016.

"Jordan, Michael." BrainyQuote.com. Xplore Inc, 2016. Accessed 31 Oct. 2016

Lion King - What Did You Do That for - the past Can Hurt. Dir. Urmie 83. Youtube. Urmie83, 29 May 2011. Web. 12 Nov. 2016.

Michael Jordan "Failure" Nike Commercial. Perf. Michael Jordan. Youtube. Youtube, 25 Aug. 2006. Web. 12 Nov. 2016.

Norris, Michele. "Visualizing Race, Identity, and Change." National Geographic, 17 Sept. 2013. Accessed 31 Oct. 2016.

Woods, Andrew. Is Watching Football Making You Depressed. Digital image. The Telegraph. Andrew Woods, 09 May 2014. Web. 12 Nov. 2016.