Being In The Now

Being in the Now does not mean ignoring or otherwise disregarding the past and/or the future. It means incorporating and embracing the past and the future as part of the Now.

It makes no sense to ignore the lessons of the past, and even less sense to ignore the possibilities of the future. Some say that the future and the past do not exist, only the Now is real. But that is like saying China does not exist simply because you are not there and cannot see it. Of course we ultimately don't know if China exists unless we are actually there, and even then the reality of it is debatable. But, to assume that China does not exist simply because we can't see it is more foolish than assuming it does. And so assuming that the future or past does not exist only because we are not there now is more foolish than assuming they do exist. It is better to assume they do.

It is better still to assume nothing, not even that you exist. In this way we can focus on our experience "in the Now" without the confusion of pointless philosophical questions. The past and the future in this sense become as much a part of our experience in the Now as anything else. Our memories become our experience in the now of the past, and our imagination becomes our experience of the future. Is not memory and imagination just as real as what you see, touch, taste, smell, or feel? Of course it is, and science even confirms this to be so. Numerous studies show that what our mind "sees" is not the same as what our eyes "see". Everything we experience is filtered and interpreted before we ever become aware of it. So to assume that what you imagine the future to be is any less real than what you see the Now to be is just another way of deceiving yourself, and ultimately only deprives you of truly experiencing the Now at all!

We must embrace the future in the Now, and bring the past along too. That doesn't mean letting the past determine the Now, or even the future. It means only remembering the past in the Now, but not mistaking it for the Now. If we are not in China then we do not need to speak Chinese. But, if we know how to speak Chinese we do not pretend we do not. I hope I'm making my point - the past is the past, and is best left in the past, but not forgotten.

Likewise, the future is the future, and while it is good to prepare for what we imagine the future may bring, it is not good to try to force the future (i.e. via the present) to be something it is not. In other words, if the future does not bring what we expect or what we hoped, then we must accept what it does bring, learn and adapt. That is all part of being in the Now.

(J.D. 12-2-13)