The Power of the Past
“Let me tell you what I wish I'd known
When I was young and dreamed of glory
You have no control, who lives, who dies, who tells your story”
-Alexander Hamilton, “Hamilton”
If you haven’t listened to or viewed Lin Manuel Miranda’s musical “Hamilton” yet, you might want to consider getting yourself over to Spotify, Disney+, or your local library. I’m not sure that any musical has ever been written that better tells the story of how our present days, the small decisions we make moment to moment, shape history and become what we think of as the powerful past. Because really, that’s all the past is when you stop to think about it; a collection of moments and decisions that were made just like the one you’re making right now.
And here’s the really cool part: something shifts when you start living with the realization that one day THIS day will be the past. You make different decisions when you ask yourself a question like, How do I want my friends and family to remember me? instead of, What do I feel like doing right now? Our feelings pretty much live for the present and only see this moment (which can be great but, you probably don’t want your feelings to be in the driver’s seat all the time). They’re like a backseat driver. You can listen to them if you want to, and there are many times when you should, but it’s your mind that should get the final say and the ability to draw the map. Or, as one of my friends once said so well, “Don’t just follow your heart, lead your heart!”
Half way through “Hamilton,” we get to see and hear a snippet of George Washington’s address when he left office as President of the United States. He takes the time to acknowledge his faults and the fact that he knows he likely committed many errors while in office, even if unintentionally. It’s a portrait of a man taking the time to consider how he will be remembered.
Another man, Aaron Burr, finds himself continually pitted against Alexander Hamilton and always comes up short. In one of his defining moments, Burr sings, “I wanna be in the room where it happens, The room where it happens, The room where it happens, You've kept me from the room where it happens, For the last time.” For Aaron Burr, the drive to be remembered as a successful, important man who was involved in key decisions ultimately drives him to a terrible, dark place.
No matter how you slice it, “Hamilton” is chock full of truth about how the way we live now affects the way we will be remembered. Understanding the power of the past can play a vital role in shaping our lives today if we’ll only let it.
Challenges/Points:
It’s easier to live in the moment and let our feelings make decisions than it is to put them in the backseat.
The hit musical “Hamilton” is full of examples of men and women who live with the awareness that they will one day be part of the past. That awareness dramatically shapes their choices and decisions.
Asking yourself how you want to be remembered is a great way to begin to live with more than just the present in mind.
Questions:
Which drives your choices the most: your feelings or your thoughts?
Are you content with how people might remember you based on how you are living right now?
Which of these do you do the most: worry about the future, live for the present moment, or ponder how you are shaping your own past?
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