Does the past effect the present?


Have you ever thought about why you are who you are right now and how you will change in the future? Most people would say that their life experiences thus far are what has shaped them. Certain events that occur in one's life shape the way they think or react to other situations as they grow older. It can also effect what college you attend or what job you end up with. Every experience such as a traumatic event, or a mistake made in the past, shapes the person you are at this moment.

When my mom worked in daycare when I was younger, she had a set of twin girls in her class. They rarely ever spoke and were afraid of any quick movements my mom would make. She came to figure out that these girls acted this way because they had an abusive father at home. Those experiences of being abused up to that point in their lives, shaped their personality and made them fearful of all adults.  Not only can traumatic events such as that one effect your present, but so can other, not as important memories  Art Markman, a cognitive scientist at the University of Texas, supports the idea that every little event in your life plays a role in your future. He states, "You tend to use memories of past experiences to predict what your life will be like in the future." He believes that the only way a person can form predictions about the future is using what they already know about their past. For example, if someone fails a test because they did not study, they can now predict that if they do not study for the next test, they will fail that one as well.

Not only can your past help you plan for the future, it can also hold you back from doing what you want to do such as getting into your dream college or getting that job you've always wanted. . Many students make the mistake of posting inappropriate or illegal content onto their social media and don't think about the consequences that come with it. In an article written by Suzanne Shaffer, called "How Social Media Can Affect College Admissions", she writes about a recent study by Kaplan that reported 12% of college admission applicants were rejected because of what the college saw on social media. What goes on social media stays on social media for almost anyone to see. These are all different ways in which the past has affected the life you live presently.

 https://www.teenlife.com/blogs/social-media-can-affect-college-admissions
https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/ulterior-motives/201108/your-view-the-future-is-shaped-the-past

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