People think that life is a set of cycles like the past—economic cycles, life cycles—as if the past is simply reasserting itself, recreating itself over and over again like the perpetual continuance of the seasons, or the rising and falling of the sun. This past orientation prevents one from seeing clearly, prevents one from bringing common sense to a new set of questions, prevents one from recognizing that their lives are changing and that they have to make decisions now that are perhaps unlike anything they have ever had to do before.
Many people want to escape the past because of their failures and their disappointments. These things can haunt them and often do. But escaping the past has a far greater importance here. Its importance is related to your ability to see and know the truth in the moment and to respond to the changing circumstances of your life.
If you do not see these things and respond appropriately, change will have a devastating impact upon you. It will overtake you. You did not see it coming. You did not recognize the consequences. You did not see the importance of making a decision way back when you did have the opportunity to make the decision. So much regarding success and failure in life depends on the ability to see, to know and to respond appropriately, even facing decisions you are unaccustomed to, even facing circumstances you are not adapted to and are not used to.
From The Great Waves of Change, Chapter Three. Enter the future unburdened by the past.