The Power of Hindsight: Building a Better Future by Learning from the Past

Have you ever been around someone who does not pay attention to where they are walking? If you have ever spent time with little children, they sometimes have the tendency to look behind them as they are walking forward. As you know, this does not turn out well for them because they usually walk into something or end up falling. 

It is hard to make forward progress if all we are focused on is the past. I have been in church meetings where leaders are supposed to be discussing how to move the congregation forward but they are focused on the days of yesteryear. They had the nostalgic memories of how many people used to show up and who used to attend. I know because I have been the “they.” 

This also happens in work settings. We sometimes get so conditioned to experiencing things a certain way that when a new leader comes in, we have a hard time adjusting because we are still stuck in history with how things used to be. I know this is true because I have sometimes been the “we.”

If you don’t mind, let me give you something to consider today. There are some things from our past that we have absolutely enjoyed and there are some things that we have absolutely dreaded or hated because they were nightmares. Some folks encourage us to forget the past completely and move on with life. Those who are reading this and experienced some kind of abuse or trauma in the past know that it is not easy to “just forget what happened and move on.” Those of us who have lived through the atrocities that have been carried out throughout history know that those events become a part of us and they become the history of our future generation’s story.

James Baldwin said, “The great force of history comes from the fact that we carry it within us, are unconsciously controlled by it in many ways, and history is literally present in all that we do.”  

This quote lets me know that we cannot just forget the past even happened like some suggest. They make comments like,

“Get over it.”

“That was so long ago.”

“Let the past stay in the past.”

“Why are you constantly bringing up the past?”

Let me suggest to you today that even though the past may not be our focus on the prize that is before us, we need the past with us so that we can learn how to navigate the present and build a better future. Remembering the words, advice, and actions of the Elders and Ancestors like Baldwin and others have helped me to better understand how to navigate the social structures that I have been involved in over the years. Don’t ever forget those who have had a positive impact on your life. Remember those who have paved a way before you. What lessons did they teach you? I have learned that some of those who meant me harm have inadvertently made me stronger because God has helped me to endure their mistreatment. Even though we are making progress in life, those people or those events have helped to shape who we are and who we are becoming. This is why Ubuntu is important to me. It helps me to connect the past, present, and future.