by Justin Webb

Created on: January 09, 2007   Last Updated: May 08, 2007

Dwelling on the past seems like the most logical thing to do for humans, and I think it has to do with the fact that we are logical, rational beings. Think about it-every bad decision you've made, every mistake, every thing that has gone wrong or taken a turn for the worse-why do we constantly come back to it, sometimes blaming ourselves for the specific incident or overloading our mind with the horrific re-runs, driving our bodies to the point of illness?

I believe the biggest reason for this is acceptance. Let's face it, any way you slice the pie, humans are fickle. Now, I know that this has varying degrees, but we all know the concept is there. No person has their mind definitively made up 100% of the time. However, by going back to the incident and by reliving and reassuring ourselves that what happened, our choices validated the correct outcome (which shouldn't be confused with the outcome we think is fair) is a way for the human psyche to ascertain a level of intrinsic peace.

To make sure I remain non-partisan, I will use an example from my own life. It was the first day of summer vacation, right after my freshman year in high-school. I remember it was the last Thursday in June, and my brother was going to ride up to our summer cottage with my grandparents; I was invited to go as well, but I declined the offer and said that I would wait until Friday when my parents would travel up after work. So, my brother and my grandparents left for camp, and upon getting there, they met up with one of my dad's best friends and friend of the family; I had personally known him since the day I was born.

On Friday, my brother called me around 3:00 PM. He told me that him, my friend, Dustin, and my dad's friend were riding his six-wheel ATV around the woods and having a great time. I was happy for him, and said my parents and I would be up to camp around 6:00 that evening. After we got off the phone, my parents arrived home, and together we started to pack for our weekend.

Well, my brother called my mom around 5:00 and they chatted for a couple of minutes, and then got off the phone, due to the fact that we were about ready to leave. He had told my mom that my dad's friend was allowing him and my friend to take the ATV out by themselves, but they each were only allotted five minutes to drive. (It should be noted that I am a year and a half older than my brother, and at the time, I had my Learner's Permit. I was the only one normally permitted to drive the ATV around camp,

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