Article November 6, 1995 Issue

Bad memories? Wake up to reality!

Marvin J. Charwat

Many of us love old movies with their legendary actors and actresses and their simple clarity about the difference between good and evil. There is another kind of "old movie," however, that is not so much fun. It is our remembrance of past failures, disappointments, or sickness, and perhaps war experiences.

When we let our thoughts wander into such gloomy shadows, we are entering the theater of darkened consciousness and are watching a film that seems to be of our own making. Even memories of good things—if they blind us to present blessings—can leave us feeling dissatisfied.

Actually, we are neither the actors nor the producers of such "films." These mental picture shows are based on a mistaken view of reality, a belief that life includes a material past that can return to haunt us or prevent progress. If we play such films often enough, we begin to believe in their stereotypes: the mortal actor who made the mistake, the mortal who did the unworthy deed, the mortal who became sick or poverty-stricken, the mortal who went through the horrors of war.

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