Who has not heard of "those days" where everything seemed to flow in perfect harmony and what today is a troubled, wild and implacable river, was a gentle current that caressed everyone who enjoyed its waters.
Apparently all the past eras have been better than the present, in much of the eighties of the twentieth century allusions were made to the 1960s, highlighting its music, artists, stars, its controversial peace movement and many others. references that seemed to reflect a lost time just 20 years ago… but in the first 10 years of the 21st century, the lost decade, as many dubbed those same 80s, has become a frame of reference for "those good old days" and it is impressive to observe how the human imagination constantly evokes them in films, costumes, literature and other important expressions.
The above is not new, it seems to repeat itself every 20 years. Thus, in the 90s, the 70s were yearned for and with certainty in the second decade of the 21st century, the 90s will shine again. This constant pattern suggests several things, firstly that we are apparently unable to appreciate present events well enough to realize that we are in the presence of a "golden age." On the other hand, these "golden ages" are not rare or presented as a rarity, since in very short periods it is observed how the past seemed to be a panacea. Another thing that can be assumed is that no matter how complicated the present may seem, anything that is lived in the today and now (if such a thing can be said) will be a real bargain with what will be experienced, in the Same scenario, in a few years.
Therefore, the past is so attractive and “promising” that when you think about the future you want to be able to enjoy those legendary things that our parents and grandparents experienced because, when contrasted with the present reality, we observe that it was easier how they lived it, even when the perception that they had at the time indicated, unequivocally, that these were hard and difficult times.
When looking at the future there are no shortage of expressions such as "I hope it was like before" stating directly that tomorrow should resemble yesterday.
Just as a mental exercise, you can imagine that time is a straight line that is traced on an eternal plane (without beginning or end) with the traditional characteristics attributed to it: Past-Present-Future.
This being the case, going forward would mean getting further away from the "past-past" and experiencing the present-present that will define the future. If it is a straight line, its tips will never touch and this will turn the future into an infinite universe of opportunities.
But when you want things to be like yesterday, the straight line that was previously imagined is not drawn in a plane but in a sphere, therefore, as it advances, it will tend to curve and, at some point, the future will coincide with the past in a constant and repeating cycle of beginning and end.
When the foregoing is understood, it is easy to explain why, in some scenarios, stagnation may be experienced in some social, cultural and economic expressions, to mention some, and in others development is unstoppable and constant.
For some societies, cultures or companies, going forward means going back, they observe the future from a myopic perspective that does not allow them to see that they are not building their reality, their market, their future on a plane, because they have insisted on turning constantly in a circumference that forces them to rebuild "those good old days" and therefore does not allow them to advance.
Thus, for example, in companies, expressions such as "that has never been tried here", "leave things as they are" or "everything was easier and better before" are observed and submerge their staff in a dark vicious circle that it subjects them to constantly repeat "yesterday and now."
But when the perspective is oriented to see beyond the obvious, create new paths without underestimating the existing ones or those already traveled, when the vision is holistic and not peripheral, the links that curve the plane can be broken and expanded enough how to prevent the ends of the straight line from reconnecting. By breaking that link that unites "tomorrow" with "yesterday", the future will depend more on what is done in "today" than on what was done in the "past" and that will facilitate shaping and adjusting it to what it is desired, because it is more difficult to change the "yesterday" than to modify the "now".
This does not mean that the "past-past" should be ignored or omitted, the references are important and instructive, but they should not be considered as the only way to do things. You have to innovate. Be creative.
Going forward should never mean going back. The future should not be an extension of the past. Each era has its magic, its charm, its impact, you just have to be broad enough to experience them, take the elements that serve as a basis and whose content is edifying, assimilate and / or adapt them to the present. Although it is true that in the evolution of things there is an immutable truth: "the past is the future of the present." It is no less true that if you want to feel pride in what has been done, the past has to serve as an archive of our essays, the present to test our hypotheses, and the future as the timetable for our new attempts.
