Topic: Do memories hinder or help people in their effort to learn from the past and succeed in the present?
Memories are essential in the transitioning of past to future, and from failure to success. Without the mistakes of our past, we enter our future like a blindfolded man, despairing from our lack of sight- encountering ridges and edges, and hurting and disheartening ourselves along the way. Erring in our daily lives is a common, but forgivable occurrence. However, making the same mistake several times leads to frustration and discouragement. So, we must learn from our past memories, and channelize our energy and knowledge into our betterment.
Last year, I had participated in a poetry competition, the topic being ‘Beauty in Nature’. I was the youngest student taking part, so I assumed that I would have to work harder than others. I picked up long, high-sounding words from the dictionary, and weaved my words into a style quite unlike my own. The meter and scansion were accurate, yet the words dripped of pretension and pomposity. When the results came out, to my dismay, I had not clinched the prize. The judges had called the winner’s poem ‘simple, yet honest, and containing a gold-mine of meaning’. I then realized how affected and superficial my poem was, and why it was not enough.
In the next competition, the topic was ‘Mystery’. This time, I used words I was familiar with, and added the element of depth and emotion into my poem, by describing how the Pyramids of Giza fascinated me with their unexplained mysteries and enigma. It looked like it had been written by an amateur poet, rather than an inexperienced girl desperately trying to sound impressive. When the winners were announced, I was not one of them. However, my sense of failure was short-lived, as a judge came up to me, and told me that she had been truly moved by the sincerity of my words.
This was success in itself- learning from the mistakes and memories of the past, and using them as a mentor and guide into the future. This memory and experience taught me a valuable lesson- one which will stay with me forever. So, old memories are a chance to reckon with the past and integrate the past and present, in order to culminate into a successful future, teeming with new opportunities and triumph.