Living Between the Past and the Future

Before I knew it,
a wall had emerged from behind me, and I could only move forward.


However, as I began to walk forward, another wall pushed back at me from the front.

Human beings forever
find themselves standing still,
trapped between the wall of the past and the wall of the future.

Certainly,
the present self cannot exist without the past.
It is precisely because the wall of the past pushes us forward that the present self exists.

Yet, how poor the visibility of the future is.
Blocked by the wall in front of me,
I cannot even see one step ahead.

At this point, some begin to cry, some begin to laugh, some begin to get angry,
and some stand still in confusion.

No one tells us anything.
We cannot even grasp the meaning of why we are trapped between these two walls.

However, in the end, everyone begins to do the same thing.
They stretch out both arms and begin to push the wall in front of them.
For every step they take forward, the wall behind them pushes out by one step.

Stop thinking about it anymore.
Human beings have no choice but to live between the past and the future.

(From Ryuho Okawa's "Mind Guidance 147")

[Impressions and Realizations]

You cannot return to the past.

If that is the case, you have no choice but to move toward the future.

There must be many days when you feel distressed, wondering why your own future is so uncertain.

Everyone else has walked such a path.

Even if you are told that, since you are in the midst of your own suffering, it sounds like nothing more than cold comfort.

It wasn't supposed to be like this.

It wasn't supposed to get this tangled up and go wrong like this.

Even if you regret it, it is too late.

If so, I believe the best strategy is to think with all your heart about what you can do right now.

It is you yourself who decides to move forward.

Even while suffering, by continuing to move toward the future, you will surely be able to see the path ahead.

Do not resent the past, do not resent anyone, just calmly pursue success within the scope of what you can do.

I believe that when you know your own limitations and continue to work diligently, the winds of success will blow your way once again.

Until then, you may experience a great deal of suffering in the space between the past and the future.

However, that period of suffering might be like the nodes forming on a bamboo stalk, a time of preparation before taking a great leap forward.

There is a saying that goes, "The worst times in life do not last for even half a year."

If you make it past half a year and see even the slightest bit of progress, I think it is perfectly fine to praise yourself for the effort you have put in.

If you are unsure whether you should move forward, at the very least, do not dwell on the past; instead, sublimate it into a lesson.

On top of that, refresh your mindset and look toward the future.

If you stay mired in gloom and indecision, good fortune is likely to slip away.

Instead of being crushed between the past and the future, keep your heart round like a ball so that you can rebound and bounce back.

I truly hope that if you keep such a round and calm image in your heart, the thorny path that awaits you will soften, if only a little.

I sincerely pray that all of you who are suffering between the past and the future can find some peace of mind and one day escape that suffering.

You cannot return to the past. If you are going to move, the future is your only choice.

I hope you can at least keep that in mind.

I am rooting for you from afar.

Thank you for reading my humble explanation once again.