Assignment 19 - Jimmy Chen

One thing I have learned through experience is that "the present is a present, enjoy it while you can" This has really stuck with me because often times people spend their lives living in the past or the future. People fantasize about what is to come next or fond memories or moments in the past that the often seek to recreate in the present or future. But what I have come to realize is that every moment or memory you make now might become the memory you are thinking of in a month, a year, or even 20 years down the road, so just enjoy the present because it is something you will never get back. Often times even if you do get to recreate or get another chance with some special moment, like the first time down a specific roller coaster, the second time will never be as magical or as frightening as the first time. It feels more empty and less gratifying each time. This is also something I have seen with people romanticizing the past eras just like how people talk about the 90's, 80's, 70's because these are eras of the past that our role models grew up in and people often seek to recreate that in the present. One day in the future some random kids in the 50's are going to reminisce about the 10's and the 20's which right now sounds absurd but that's what teens in the 90's would've thought about us. Someone in the future is going see the pandemic in all it's awfulness in a text book and fantasize about it saying "I was born in the wrong generation" so just enjoy it because they never will.