Discussion Forums about Books and Reading | "All you have is today."
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I think Duke wanted to believe he lived in the present, but everything about him still screamed of his past. The man was dying of cancer, but he still performed because he once was part of a circus. He did meth because he needed it to keep up with the life style decades ago. He built his entire world around once being part of something, even once injury stopped him from swallowing swords. He gained followers and started showing them how to perform routines.
I like this insight that you have. I think I agree with you that Duke wanted to believe that he lived in the present. The thing I really noticed about this quote was that he insisted on not planning for or striving for the future. He blew through money, never saving anything, and he refused to do anything about his injury or his cancer. Sure, I’m not guaranteed tomorrow, but that doesn’t mean I don’t want to prepare for it as a possibility or try to stick around to experience it.K Geisinger wrote: ↑10 May 2018, 12:38I think Duke wanted to believe he lived in the present, but everything about him still screamed of his past. The man was dying of cancer, but he still performed because he once was part of a circus. He did meth because he needed it to keep up with the life style decades ago. He built his entire world around once being part of something, even once injury stopped him from swallowing swords. He gained followers and started showing them how to perform routines.
I think you are absolutely right about Duke. I think his desire to help Gary was a sign of his connection to his past, but his need to move past it. He did not want Gary to get hung up for the rest of his life on the mistakes he had made. He wanted him to get out of the cycle and find something worth living for today.desantismt_17 wrote: ↑12 May 2018, 12:27 I think Duke is doing his best to live in the present. He continues to do what he does because he enjoys it. Maybe he's a little stuck in the past, but even the most present-centric of us can be from time to time.
As for me, I do my best to live in the moment. It's tough to do sometimes, and I know I can easily fall into obsessing about the past or future. The key, I think, is not to stop those slips, but to acknowledge them, thank them for their input, and come back to the present. The past gives us something to learn from. The future gives us something to look forward to, but we truly only do have this moment.
Now to do what I just said.
It is impossible to let our past go or not to think about tomorrow. The problem comes in when you are unable to get past yesterday and never account for tomorrow. In other words, the things from our past reminds of of where we came from to get to where we are today. The past helps us to move past yesterday, reflecting on doing better than the mistakes we made in the past. Although, we may lay down to sleep one night and unfortunately never wake up, there is nothing that can be done. We have no control over what's ahead but not planning for your future is unwise. It's okay to plan for the next day but if you obsess about either yesterdays gone past or days down the road. We will be forever stuck in one place, lost.kfwilson6 wrote: ↑12 May 2018, 12:36I think you are absolutely right about Duke. I think his desire to help Gary was a sign of his connection to his past, but his need to move past it. He did not want Gary to get hung up for the rest of his life on the mistakes he had made. He wanted him to get out of the cycle and find something worth living for today.desantismt_17 wrote: ↑12 May 2018, 12:27 I think Duke is doing his best to live in the present. He continues to do what he does because he enjoys it. Maybe he's a little stuck in the past, but even the most present-centric of us can be from time to time.
As for me, I do my best to live in the moment. It's tough to do sometimes, and I know I can easily fall into obsessing about the past or future. The key, I think, is not to stop those slips, but to acknowledge them, thank them for their input, and come back to the present. The past gives us something to learn from. The future gives us something to look forward to, but we truly only do have this moment.
Now to do what I just said.
Every day is a new day to start over, to gain a fresh perspective, or to do something different. It can be challenging and scary, but getting away from bad habits is the best way to focus on today and forget about yesterday.
I'm the same way. I am continuously thinking about the plans, obligations, and responsibilities I have coming up next and often forget to enjoy the moment I'm in.Ginnamassa19 wrote: ↑13 May 2018, 03:49 I do think Duke lived by what he told Gary--he seemed to have a live-fast-die-young, devil-may-care attitude (or at least it felt like he wanted most of the world to think he did). It seems like a fitting life for a circus performer, anyway, since there are so many connotations of the temporary connected with circus life.
I'm always way too worried about what the future will bring, so it's really fun to read a story where a main character thinks the opposite way.
"Today is a gift that's why it's called present." This came from one of my family's movies, Kung Fu Panda. I would definitely agree. Yet, it's always easier to express a thought or an idea, but doing it is another thing and takes more effort and will power at times, especially when pressures and the cares of the world become more pronounced than the rest of the aspects of a person's life, and persistently consumes a whole lot more of an individual's brain space and time. Nonetheless, what the book's author Gary wrote in his posted letter (viewtopic.php?f=81&t=67002), "inspiration" and "redemption" could be found.
Well duke has a reasons , to reflect back to the past with the present in view but , it's all like a twist in time with, how things unfolds .