The Chinese philosopher Lao Tzu once said “If you are depressed, you are living in the past. If you are anxious, you are living in the future. If you are at peace, you are living in the present”. As humans, I think it’s only natural to find ourselves in each of those mindsets every now and then.
If I’m being honest, I don’t know if I think more about the future than I do about the past. Off-hand, I would have to say I think about the past more. Recently, I’ve been thinking a lot about the future. Moreso in fact, than I can ever remember thinking about it before. About one month ago, I laid out my blueprint for 2024; a first for me in that I was setting out my goals for the entire calendar year..
As humans, I think it’s easier to think of the past than it is the future, because that’s where our memories are. We can plan for the future, and it’s good that we do; but remembering the past comes more naturally to humans, I think. Our thoughts of the future are abstract. All we can really do is dream, hope and plan for the future. The trick is making those thoughts become a reality. When it comes to thinking about the past. We usually look back on the past nostalgically. There are times, however, when we look back on the past with regret. What could have been? What would things be like if I did A, B and C differently?
While thinking about this prompt, my mind went to the movie Napoleon Dynamite, specifically the Uncle Rico and Kip characters. Laugh all you may, but I have argued for years that there is more going on in Napoleon Dynamite that most of us realize.
For those of you not familiar with the movie, Napoleon Dynamite is the story of a high school kid, his family, friends and community that can best be described as “quirky”. Rico is the uncle of the movie’s protagonist, the titular Napoleon. When Napoleon’s grandmother breaks her tailbone wiping out in her dune buggy, Rico comes to the house temporarily look after Napoleon and his thirty-something-year-old brother Kip. Rico and Kip are good characters foils for each other.
While keeping his mind on the present and looking after his nephews in his own…unique way, Rico spends much of the movie thinking about his glory days of playing high school football and what his life could have been if things turned out differently. Rico very much a guy who hit is peak in high school. A lot of people feel this way about their high school days. However, Rico’s obsession goes to a whole different level when he orders a time machine in a desperate attempt to change his life by altering the past!
On the flipside, you have Kip, Rico’s nephew and Napoleon’s brother. On the surface, Kip is just a pathetic dork who lives at home and evidently isn’t mature enough to look after Napoleon. But like so many other things in this move, there is more to Kip than meets the eye. Kip is always thinking about the future, or his next move. He gets job selling Tupperware with Rico (in one of Rico’s get-rich-quick schemes) to raise enough money to fly his girlfriend, Lawfawnduh. out to see him. The movie ends with the happy couple getting married.
For all of his quirks, Kip thinks about the future. He is constantly moving the proverbial goalpost for himself whereas Rico has resigned himself to the fact that his best days are behind him. I would argue that Napoleon Dynamite is as much Kip’s story as it is Pedro’s, maybe even that of Napoleon himself.
To answer the prompt, historically I’ve probably thought more about the past than I have the future. I’ve had more of an Uncle Rico mindset; but I’m trying real hard to think like Kip.
Do you spend more of your time thinking about the future, or the past? Are you Kip, or Uncle Rico? Why?
Thanks for stopping by Rebuilding Rob. Be sure to like, comment and subscribe to my blog below. It’s greatly appreciated! Also, feel free to follow me on social media as well! Check out my most recent posts as well as some earlier related posts:
- Rob’s Retro Movie Review: This is Spinal Tap (1984) – The Movie That Scaled to Eleven
- A Death in the Family (And My Disposable Income): My Life in Comics
- The Supporting Cast: Navigating the Eras of Male Friendship
- Life is What Happens: A Look Back at My Non-Existent 2025 Vision
- The Moment I Walked Inside a Hallmark Movie
The article “Kip or Uncle Rico?” first appeared on Rebuilding Rob.
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