The past depends upon what we make of it to-day; if we despise our evil conduct in former days, then the past itself is changed and conquered.
The mistake that is made is to regard the past as a thing complete in itself; what appears to be finished is really only completing itself, and we must take a view of the whole of a thing, and not merely the parts that have already manifested themselves.

Through such considerations we become more and more aware of the ultimate connection between the past and present, and of the part the present can play in the remaking of the past.
Our investigations of history leads us, too, to differentiate between the temporary and the eternal in the realm of thought.

We find at a certain period of history a trend of thought that can largely be accounted for by the special conditions of life at the time, and which disappears at a later age.

But in addition to this we become aware of truths that have found a place in the thoughts of various ages and countries, and we are led to regard these as the eternal truths--expressions of an eternal ever-present reality.

This eternal present we find to be something independent of time, something that breaks the barriers between the past, present, and future.