Waiting for 20/20.

"Hindsight is 20/20" doesn't seem quite as accurate and I'm sure most people in the legal field disagree with this statement.  My vision of the past is definitely clearer than it once was.  I have a wider perspective, a more knowledgeable vision and more time to analyze what I see.  Unfortunately, with that improvement, I lose the ability to analyze details, the images blur at times and anything I failed to see remains hidden from my sight.

I have had many discussions with various people on how we should respond to the past.  The two extremes seem to fall into these categories:  a) forget and move on or b) remember, reflect and learn.

I think there is a need for both at times.  I think the end goal is to be able to remember, analyze and learn from our past, but we're not always ready to do that.  Some memories are painful and we need time to heal before we can dive back into the past and reflect.  Some memories are flawed and only remain because we hold on to some sense of injustice... but that tends to grow into bitterness and carries no positive gains --- those we must forget till we're ready to reflect back and learn from our mistakes.

Our vision of the past tends to clarify with wisdom and maturity.  So the past can be a treasure trove of experiences... a collection of ones we weren't quite ready to use just yet.

Prov 1:1-7

1 The proverbs of Solomon son of David, king of Israel:

² for attaining wisdom and discipline;
    for understanding words of insight;
³ for acquiring a disciplined and prudent life,
    doing what is right and just and fair;
⁴ for giving prudence to the simple,
    knowledge and discretion to the young—
⁵ let the wise listen and add to their learning,
    and let the discerning get guidance—
⁶ for understanding proverbs and parables,
    the sayings and riddles of the wise.

⁷ The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge,

    but fools^[a] despise wisdom and discipline.