Echoes in Eternity

How the Choices We Make Today Shape the Soundtrack of Our Tomorrow

Marcus Aurelius, Roman emperor and reluctant philosopher, once wrote: “What we do now echoes in eternity.”

Not bad for a bloke running an empire. And he wasn’t talking about glory on the battlefield or getting his face carved into marble. He meant now. Today. The weight of this very moment.

I ran a workshop at the Detention Centre a couple of weeks back on that exact quote, and it lit a fire under me. I found myself pacing the room like a preacher in a tracksuit… hands flying, voice rising… cracking at times, eyes blazing… because it’s not just some poetic line from a dusty old book. It’s a dangerous truth.

It’s a warning.
A wake-up call.
A whisper that turns into a roar if you try to ignore it.

And believe me… I ignored it.
Have you?

A decade ago, I was arrested. A lifetime ago in years, but a blink in the chaos that led there. One minute I was chasing the thrill, the money, the image… the next, I was shackled. And here I am. Still in custody. Still in the belly of the beast. Still haunted by echoes. Ten years on.

Not just the sound of bars clanging shut… but the echoes of choices made in ego, panic, and pride.

Ever shouted into a tunnel and listened for the echo? That weird, warped version of your own voice comes screaming back. That’s your past. That’s how it returns… distorted, louder, and always when you least expect it. Like karma with a megaphone and a twisted sense of humour.

Now, I believe in redemption. I believe in second chances. Hell, I believe in third and fourth ones too… we’re human. We learn in loops. But here’s the kicker: your past isn’t some tattoo you can laser off. It’s more like a ripple in the fabric of time.

And as Einstein

(yes, that Einstein) said,
“The distinction between past, present and future is only a stubbornly persistent illusion.”

Translation? The stuff we did doesn’t always stay put. It moves. It morphs. It shows up in dreams, relationships, courtrooms, and conversations you weren’t ready for.
Some days it whispers.
Other days it kicks the door in.

I have conversations with some of the young adults in here, and I see the same patterns I once lived. Fast lane. No brakes. Charisma cranked to the max. A devil-may-care grin and a backpack full of bad decisions.

I see them… and I get it.
Because I was them.
A somewhat lovable rogue with a silver tongue and a dark streak.
I could talk my way into… or out of… just about anything.
Except myself.

And here’s the truth I want to pass on… not with scare tactics or finger-wagging lectures, but with honesty. With consequences. With real stories and hard-earned lessons. Because when you know what a single choice can cost… like, really know it, not just “yeah ok” or “whatever”… it hits differently.

It’s my ambition, when I walk out of here, to continue that work. With young people on the outside. Schools. Youth centres. Anywhere I’m given the opportunity to try and make a difference.

To give them tools, truth, and time.
To help them feel the gravity of their choices…
without stripping away their hope.

Turning pain into purpose.
Turning shame into strength.
Turning that tornado behind you into wind in your sails.

And the good news? Science backs this up.
Neuroplasticity… the brain’s ability to rewire itself… proves we’re not fixed.
We’re not broken forever.

We change.
We grow.
But only if we act.
Only if we choose today… differently.

You’ve got to own your story without letting it own you. That’s the trick. I’m not running from my past anymore. I’m sitting with it. Wrestling it. Writing with it. Using it as a tool… maybe even a weapon for good. Because if I can stop even one kid from sleepwalking into the same fire I danced through, maybe the echoes change. Maybe they soften. Maybe they start to carry a new tune.

Maybe that's the real legacy. Not statues or headlines… but shifting someone else’s path by showing them the damage of your own.

Marcus knew it. Einstein hinted at it. Even the Buddhists nailed it when they said: “What we are today comes from our thoughts of yesterday, and our present thoughts build our life of tomorrow.”

So… what are you thinking?
More importantly… what are you doing?

Because what we do today does echo in eternity.

It can be a terrible thing… or it can be an amazing thing. It’s up to you.

You get to choose…

So make today count.

Not tomorrow.
Not after the next mistake.
Not once you “have it all sorted.”

Today.

Because one day, your voice will echo back to you.

The only question is… what will it be saying?

Stay Unshackled, My Friends

Stephen