question_answer 6)

Philately helps keep the past alive. Discuss other ways in which this is done. What do you think of the human tendency to constantly move between the past, present, and future?    

Answer:

Philately is one of the oldest hobbies in the world, which is still popular as it cuts across age groups. Through philately, you study about politics, the history of prominent personalities, national and international events, monuments, warriors/arms, geographical flora and fauna, agricultural crops, scientific equipment, scientist, vehicles on the moon, satellites, eclipses etc. Well, is there a better way of learning things? Stamps reflect a country's history, culture, and civilization. Hence, these bits of paper are priceless. It is no wonder that philately is considered to be the 'king of all hobbies'. It promotes logic, inquisitiveness, and a scientific spirit.   Some other ways in which this is done is through the study of coins, archaeology, the study of fossil (paleobiology), and the study of plants. Yes, it is queer that we often retrospect about the past that has been and the future that we anticipate but strangely live in the present. Well, certainly we all are always in the present, since there is nowhere else to be, but that doesn't mean our thoughts are in the present. We, as humans, are the rarest of all species in that not only can we think but we can think about our thinking referred to as metacognition. We often take only the bad from the past, quickly breeze through the present, and falsely make up the future. The result frequently is guilt about our imperfect past, anxiety about a future that doesn't exist, and impatience with the Now.   Though it is the Now which can help us to live our lives today, fully alive, happy and content, it is our past that gives us direction and the hope of a happier future motivates us to keep striving.