Back stories are useful as reference points for monitoring mindsets. How did we form specific habits? Was it due to urges from the subconscious? How does it feel when we reflect about the way things were? Do we want to retain anything from those times?
The further one moves away from these moments, the less they seem to matter. It might be banal to suggest that living in the present is a sensible way to function, but this is true.
Was it useful to move in particular circles? What has one gained from subscribing to the social codes of a group? Would it have made a difference if one had gone elsewhere? What was attractive about that scene? These questions potentially provide answers that help us in making sense of the present.
How about the lockdowns of recent times? Has isolation made any notable impact on one’s mindset? What lessons can be learnt from this experience?
Looking for a long time at one’s reflection in a mirror has pros and cons, like anything else.
