Blog 10

"There is nothing else than now. There is neither yesterday, certainly, nor is there any tomorrow. How old must you be before you know that? And if you stop complaining and asking for what you will never get, you will have a good life."

                                                               - Ernest Hemingway

           I believe that the main focal point of Hemingway's quote is that, while were young, we must enjoy life as it comes to you and that focusing too much on the past or present distracts you from the life that you have in the here and now. Taking to much time dwelling on the past, or too much planning out your future keeps you from taking your time in the life you're living now. Hemingway puts emphasis on the question, how old must you be before you know that?, because if you realize too late, some of the best moments of your life have already passed, and you were too busy anticipating the future to enjoy it. Continuously focusing on future and neglecting to acknowledge the present can almost feel like a let-down when you reach that future mind set. Reaching that future mind set will leave you feeling let down because you've missed so much while trying to get there; you didn't stop to enjoy the process, but rather just focused on the central idea.

             At the end of Hemingway's quote, he says that you will live a good life once you stop complaining about things that you will never get. I can agree with this, that the things in life that happen to you that you can't control, you cant waste your time on it. Complaining on something that will not change, or something that is impossible to have happen is pointless and it takes away from the good things going on in your present life, tying into the central point of the quote, stop and smell the roses.