TIME, MEMORY AND THE TRAP OF SOCIAL MEDIA

I can really see how social media—despite all its good points—is keeping many of us in a state of perpetual stagnation. We don’t realize how time is moving forward while we’re being titillated with memories from both the recent and distant past. These memories are so well preserved that many of the events we lived through growing up feel as though they happened just yesterday.

Now, while we consciously know those memories aren’t from yesterday—because we can revisit them through a video of a decades-old sporting event or a song that takes us back to the moment it dropped—social media gives us unlimited access to these feelings. I'm not saying we shouldn't reminisce about special moments from our personal histories. But the ability to escape into them as often as we want robs us of the present—the very time we could be using to build and create new memories.

Just the other day, I was watching The Breakfast Club where Chuck D of Public Enemy and the legendary rapper Kurtis Blow were being interviewed. I was shocked to hear them mention the dates of some historic events in hip-hop—moments I remember vividly, since I grew up in the same city as these icons. Their music will always remind me of my youth. But when they mentioned their ages, it hit me. I’m only two or three years younger than Chuck D, and while I’ve always known he was older than me, in my mind he’s still that man in his 20s, performing with Public Enemy in those electrifying, youthful years. That realization hit me like a ton of bricks—and it made me see just how much time has passed.

I accept that time has moved on. But that moment made me recalibrate my perception of time. I need to maximize what’s left of my life. It’s a waste how so many people gain wisdom over the years, only to enter their later stages stuck in nostalgia, letting that knowledge fade instead of using it. We should be sharing what we’ve learned to help those coming behind us avoid the same pitfalls and foolish misjudgments. That’s what keeps me alive, enthusiastic, and passionate about sharing everything I’ve gathered from the walk I’ve walked over the decades.

I also refuse to carry the weight of negative feelings from the past—what most would call regrets. Those difficult, painful experiences were like chisels, shaping and refining me into the strong, powerful individual I am today. While I believe everyone has the right to live life however they choose, many don’t realize that holding onto haunting regrets can plague their minds forever—unless they consciously refuse to give those thoughts space in the first place. Regret does nothing for you. Don’t waste your time overthinking the past when you’ve been blessed with another day. Choose instead to live in stability, to share your light, and never let those dark thoughts cloud your perception or block the truth that every new day is a divine gift.

LanceScurv