Life is lived forwards not backwards; for you only have control of today and can only plan for tomorrow.
Pinky was born and raised in the the Indian town of Mumbai, a city which has a high number of motorbikes and tricycles. Pinky was always intrigued by anything mechanical and had a penchant for automobiles and would never pass a chance to learn a thing or two about them.
Her dad Prakesh, was among the wealthiest men in their area and owned several top of the range cars. He also had some motorbikes which were used by his many employees to run errands because they were cheap, fuel efficient and more flexible. They could easily beat the endless traffic jams. When she clocked eighteen, her dad took her to a driving school and she was so excited when she finally got a driving license, for she knew she had the legal access she wanted to all the motorable machines in her father’s compound.
Her father had very vast tracts of land and this is where Pinky would go to hone her driving skills. As she became more experienced, her attraction to cars began to wane but something else tickled her fancy; the motorbikes which were used by her dad’s employees. She loved the way they manouvered expertly through traffic jams and she couldn’t wait for an opportunity to ride on one. Her persistence finally paid off and after being taken through training, she could finally ride the bike.
Pinky loved the thrill of it but she discovered one challenge; motorbikes, unlike cars, have no reverse gear so if you wanted to go back the way you came, you had to make a u-turn. This was somewhat of a challenge to her because sometimes one got caught up in a situation on the road where space was limited and so you had to ride for a longer distance before you either found space wide enough to turn or head to a roundabout. The designers of motorbikes clearly had one rule – “forwards ever, backwards never.”
Motorbikes are designed for those who have no business with what is behind them. The only fleeting connection you have with the rear is through the side mirror and even then, this is only for a second then you look ahead. This is one thing we all can apply in our day to day lives. It’s so sad that many people are prisoners of the past. Many of us are living in the past, crying over things that happened in the past. We are still mourning past failures, broken relationships, failed businesses, past heartbreaks and so on. It is common knowledge you cannot make any forward progress if you are constantly looking behind. You may end up crashing & injuring yourself and others. The past has nothing much to offer. The only good you can get from your past are lessons from your past experiences. To cut a long story short, avoid those trips back into your past. They are a waste of time and resources and avail nothing. Life is lived forwards not backwards; for you only have control of today and can only plan for tomorrow. To read more posts by Mwangi, click HERE
