The Past Essays - Spirituality, Culture, Religion,

The Past The past is the root of the present whereas the present is the seed of the future; the pastness of the past has its present too. If the present is the culmination of the past, it is also the take-off stage for the future. Obviously all the three have an organic relation whether we take them from the point of view of human life, nature or human institutions. Human life, during its evolutionary course, leaves behind a trail, a beaten path, a tradition, or the tradition which crystallizes itself into the culture of that nation. Otherwise also the abortive efforts of the past make the persons wiser, experienced and better equipped for action; the successful adventures inspire us to do our work enthusiastically. Similarly Nature, as it is, has retained much of ancient character though it has been evolving all through. Nature, in no case, can be considered something amorphous, transient and for the present only. Similarly human institutions of the past and the future have a clao se relation with the present, for example, religion, which had been dominating not only the life but also the thinking of the people in the past has been reduced to the level of a private affair. There is a possibility that religious outlook, with a greater emphasis on moral virtues, may assume a greater significance. Religion, some think, alone can solve the problems of the world. S. Radhakrishnan once said, "Irreligion is our malady, religion is only cure." The past, the present and the future cannot be studied in a state of isolation.