The way we think about things in the present and future will always depend on the things that have happened to us in the past. Or, more specifically, what we remember to have happened. Think of it in the same lines as post-traumatic stress disorder, but to a way less extent. You see, when we consider something - anything - our thoughts are triggered by what we know or remember about them from what we've experienced in life.
From when we are born, our only natural fears are instinctual. And so our fears are conditioned, and so too are our thoughts and feelings by each and every small moment in our lives.
Now, maybe you're thinking "Well of course, that's so straight forward. What's your point?" (Or maybe not.) But the point is this, what if we were to re-remember them? What if we took ourselves back to a certain memory and reimagine that moment, understanding it differently and thus changing how we think of it now?
I don't exactly mean tricking ourselves into believing something happened which didn't, but rather rethinking our reaction to an event or someone else's. We consistently misinterpret other's actions and reactions, so if we attempt to reimagine them, we can then change the connotations our memories hold for us.
In this way then, can't we change our future reactions to the things that hold a connected fear or resentment? Considering these different perspectives from our past can make for a better future. We're letting go, not of the memories, but of the possibly unnecessarily negative connotation they hold for us in the future.
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