le passé

"Those who cannot remember the past are doomed to repeat it."

-George Santayana

Lately I've been contemplating the role one's past should play in one's present and future. Here are some thoughts/questions:

• What are is one supposed to remember and forget and how does one ensure that the things remembered remain beneficial?  
• I know that remembering past offenses can prevent the same future wrongs.  But there also seems to be a point where memory can inhibit the ability to move forward and progress because of the fear of repeating mistakes.  So where is the line?
• I know that my past experiences, the good and the painful, shape the way I currently think, act, and feel or don't feel.  But how are you supposed to a) know if that's a good thing and b) rid yourself of the bad and cling to the good? And if I know that things from my past are affecting my present for the worse, how to I change it so they don't? 
• The past can provide a good reference point from which to measure progress. 
• History can provide a foundational identity, but how does a country/group/person know which aspects to hold on to and which to dispose?

Questions, questions, and more questions....