I normally post these in "The Devotionals Thread" on the Religion board, but I think it's appropriate here too.
On the Sequence of Things"Since every event is the consequence of a prior event, it is impossible to interpret the present correctly without looking at the past. But it is important to understand that, since the present is the consequence of the past, you can work on this present to create a more beautiful and luminous future. If you truly want to understand someone’s present existence, you must think of it not only as the consequence of the distant past but as the point of departure for a new existence.
If you study someone’s life without taking into account its connection to his past and future lives, you cannot assess it accurately. Sometimes when we observe a person’s life, we cannot help but think: ‘What a waste!’ And such a life seems even more hopeless if we aren’t aware that it is merely a link in a long chain and that the next links can be improved. "
Omraam Mikhaël Aïvanhov