On Human Nature

About one of humanity's frailties Thomas Wolfe wrote，‘’He talks of the future and he wastes it as it comes." This observation is related to a principle by which I try to live .I believe in living in the presentbecause it is futile to dwell on the past，to worry about the future，or to miss anything in the only reality I know.

It is futile to dwell on the past .What existed or happened in the past may have been beautiful or exciting and may bring profound and precious memories;but the past is dead，and it is not healthy for living spirits to linger over a world inhabited by ghosts .The past may also be a place of horror，of regret，of spilled milk .However，it is painful and pointless to fixate on a period that cannot be relieved or repaired .It is unproductive self-punishment .The past must be kept in its place，outlived and outgrown.

It is also useless to worry about the future .People may envisionthe horrible mushroom cloud;the overpopulated，abused earth gonedead . They may imagine their own lives going away;advancements givento someone else;their houses burned to ground;everything in theirlives，as in a nightmare，slipping away .There is no end to the disasters;people can worry about everything when focusing anxiously on the future .There are events in the future，including their own deaths，over which they have little or no control，but which can ruin their lives if they worry about them .The only way out is to live well in the present，not simply by worrying about the future.

The present moment is the only reality I know， and I don't want to miss it .The wild cherry cough drop dissolving in my mouth is sweet and soothing .Even my sore throat and backache have meaning .The cool night air，the crackling noises of my furnace，my cat yawning and stretching-these are the tangible realities I can recognize .They exist in this moment，together with my own breathing，and the warm lamp overhead .Along with these are the realities of other people and of all life on this earth，which matter to me now，not at some past or future time.

Everyone needs a sense of history，I think;particularly a feeling for his or her own roots，but history needs to keep its distance to be appreciated .It is also vital to have some sense of direction，which means making plans for the future but not becoming preoccupied with them.What is most important，I believe，is living in the present，that is，being alive now.