I noticed this doorpost the other day while strolling along by the canals in Milan. I find this kind of image beautiful. Because you can see the remains of at least four layers of different coloured paint, you realise you are looking at the past made manifest in the present.
I think I’ve been guilty of oversimplifying at times, splitting reality into three parts….past, present and future. The truth is there are no hard and fast boundaries between these apparent time zones. The past informs the present, the present emerges from the past, and the future unfolds within each present moment.
The past doesn’t go away and the future isn’t lying in wait for us around a hidden corner.
We have to use memory, attention and imagination if we want to understand this life, our life, and that of others.
If we don’t slow down we’re liable to experience life as superficial, thin and unsatisfying but if we do pause and reflect we can see a depth, a richness, in every moment and in every person.
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