My Car Is Forever Stuck In The Past

+++ title = “07” date = 2019 +++

When I noticed that my car’s dashboard calendar was off I tried to adjust it. It was off by a year in the past. When I tried to adjust it, I found it only went up to 2018 – pressing the forward button one more time set me back to 1999. The manufacturer had not considered a world in which this car would still be in use after 2018.

To be stuck in the past is a serious situation. I’d feel the same way if the car was stuck on a future date too. If you’re living in the past, it’s hard to enjoy the fullness of the present moment. Impossible, even.

There are millions of people who are so scared of the future that they willingly choose to live in the past. I’ve experienced this. Call it depression, call it anxiety, call time resistance.

Driving around in this broken system, maybe I’ll start to forget what year it really is. Maybe I’ll show up for parties that have already happened. Maybe I’ll forget recent events and be stuck in 2018.

It’s a dangerous place to be, the past. The future is no better. But both are static. Like a diving board above a raging sea, and no urgency to jump. You can stare at the violent waters as long as you want.

The present moment though gives us a thrilling chance to surf.