Not without the past , by Erik Pevernagie Oil on canvas,(100 x 100 cm)
We needn’t burn down all the bridges, even if, in our mind, the town of our youth has been burnt down and has left us destructive resentments, like for Rufus Wainwrights, (“Going to a Town”).
Even if we have bad feelings about our past and it causes a sense of alienation, it belongs to our history. We have to take into consideration all its benchmarks and can’t take decisions for the future without consulting it. .
The past becomes our second personality. It is our intrinsic safety code, irrespective of a potential love-hate relationship. It may become our guardian angel and protect us from a bleak blind alley, since it knows that “we” know. And “We” know the colors of its cards. Experience is a tough master and knows the tricks of the trade. It teaches us how to play.
Phenomenon: The past
Factual starting point: Woman looking back