Is the present important? Is it any more important than the past or future? What is now since we are in constant motion through the universe? How long is now, a second, a minute an hour? What power is there in the now?
Think deeply about now or the present it is actually a difficult thing to grasp and understand. InConversations With God, God, depending on your own point of view on the books, describes the ‘present’ as exactly that, a gift, something to cherish and be thankful for. It is literally, a present from God.
So why is nowness so important and how can it bring benefit to oneself?
Firstly, begin to grasp the importance of the value of time. Whether there be an afterlife or not, this particular body has an average life of about 70 – 80 years. How much can we accomplish within that time frame?
Life is a wonderful gift, if you choose to perceive it that way! Some may believe that life is worth very little but choosing to think that way can only bring about a waste of time. The world is filled with wonders as well as the most horrid things known to man, but the variety is breathtaking.
Sitting here in this very moment I could be doing anything I choose to, there are limits of finances and other factors, but if I set my mind to it, there is almost nothing I cannot do!
Those are just the constraints of the body, within my mind and my soul I could be creating or feeling anything I choose to that brings benefit to humankind
Within this world of variety are great precious moments that no one forgets. Precious moments don’t just have to come once in a life time. They can be at any time you choose.
Ask yourself, what am I am doing right at this moment and what could I potentially be doing? It doesn’t even have to be anything grand or profound, it could be as simple as; doing a better job at work, or, cleaning the car but enjoying the experience at the same time! Appreciating that you have the opportunity to clean your car and make it shiny, be proud of that moment, it may be common place for us but some individuals will never experience the pride one feels after doing a good job of washing the car.
Newness and nowness In daily routines
It is easy to forget to appreciate some of the things that one might do on a daily basis because that feeling of newness is no longer there. So what can you do to revive the feeling that this is something that you’re doing for the very first time? Remember that this opportunity is limited. It is something that you will not be able to do for very long so enjoy it while it lasts.
Learn to appreciate the small things. That fact that you can walk, talk, smile, laugh, love, feel pain, drive, work, type (one for the bloggers), read, speak and the list just goes on and on. There are those who never get such opportunities and would die for them and those that do are never thankful that they have them.
Learn to live in the moment, do not dwell on the past too much and likewise do not create expectations of the future, live in the now and become a nowness type of person and enjoy every step.
Try an experiment on yourself; try to appreciate each moment and what you’re doing in each moment to see what effect it has on your day and feel free to post up any results of your personal experiment.
The Two Master Lessons of Life
In my humble opinion there are only two lessons in life we as a species need to master. As far as I’m concerned all else is an illusion. I too get caught up in the illusions frequently which is not a bad thing.
When I get caught up in the illusion, and I awaken to the fact that I’m getting caught in it, I am then able to then go back and focus on the two master lessons. It’s like practising in real life.
The first master lesson:
Power of Choice or Decision. Between stimulus and response there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our freedom. Viktor Frankl.
Learning this lesson has so far been the greatest lesson of all for me. There is no greater power in life than understanding that I have the power to choose how I respond to everything that comes along in my life. At times it might seem like reaction is the stronger of the two forces and that you don’t actually have a choice. Reaction is conditioning and when you acknowledge that it is you can begin to change it if you choose to do so.
I wish I could say I was an A* student at it but it’s a subject that I love studying and so I’m hoping that one day I attain my masters degree in it!
The second master lesson: Being Present in this Moment
“Life is now. There was never a time when your life was not now, nor will there ever be” Eckhart Tolle
How often have you let your past or future dominate the person you are? You are not your past and you are not what happens to you in the future. You are on the outside who you choose to be in this moment but you are, ultimately, this moment. If you don’t learn to live in the present you’ll constantly find yourself at battle with your memories and future hopes/dreams/fears.
The experience of being in this present moment is one that we’ve all had and you’ll know when you’ve had it because time flew by quicker than normal. Being in this moment alters our perception of time.
When you are focussed on now and understand that it is all that really matters suddenly your experience of life totally changes. If you can be doing any task and be totally present with it you’ll feel a true sense of fulfilment and enjoyment.
If anyone out there can tell me a better way to live my life then I’m more than happy to listen! As it stands I haven’t found a better way then putting these two master lessons to good use in everything I do.
