Living In the Presant Moment

The secret of health for both the mind and body is not to mourn for the past, not to worry about the future, not to anticipate troubles, but to live the present moment wisely and earnestly. - Buddha

Sometimes when the movie ends I’m sorry that it doesn’t continue going forever, but when the move starts it is going to end. The ending of the movie has been part of the movie the entire time, AND, really, we want to movie to end, it is the process of instant by instant that we are exposed to the movie. We enjoy the move moment by moment.

Actually, a movie is the perfect example of illustrating the present moment. If seeing an image on the screen is your present moment, your NOW, then it is important to also know that the movie projector moves the film at a speed of 24 frames per second. It takes 1.5 feet of film to create one second of movie screen time. In your life, stuff is going on so fast that by the time you notice NOW, it is already in the past and something new is happening.

This reminds me of Zeno’s Paradox of the race course. Zeno was one of those ancient Greek dudes that come up with this paradox. Zeno argues that it is impossible for a runner to go from the starting point of a race to the finish line, because for the runner must reach the half way point before it gets to the finish line. Before you say, “Duh.” remember that in math, there are an infinite number of points on a number line. How can anyone move from point S (starting point) to point F (the finish line) if there are in infinite number of points in between? The race course: can be divided in half, and then that first half can be divided into half, and so can the half of the half of the half, and so on, ad infinitum.

Mr. Zeno’s assumption is that if infinite divisibility exists (a mathematical fact): then the distance from the starting point (S) to the finish line (F) can be divided into an infinite number of parts.

Life is all memory, except for the one present moment that goes by you so quickly you hardly catch it going. ~ Tennessee Williams

The point I am attempting to make is that it is very difficult to isolate and analyze the present moment because change never stops, and moments are born and die faster than the mind can comprehend. Just as Zeno implies, our present moments pass by like the frames of a movie going faster than our minds can comprehend, and yet we do, somehow live ONLY in the present moment.

How can we live in the present moment?

1.) Be conscious of what you are thinking. Notice when you are thinking about the past or the future. Are these thoughts bringing you positive or negative emotions? Notice if there are certain things that come up more than other things?

2.) Write down on a piece of paper, some of the negative thoughts that are coming up more than others. Just try for two or three right now, you don’t want to be overwhelmed, but actually write it down. Don’t try to do this in your head. It is just too easy to get lost when you hang out in your head. Writing it on paper provides you distance, and distance allows you to make choices that are less influenced by sensations and more influenced by rationale. If in a few days, you find that this exercise helps then go back and add a few more things to work on. Just don’t rush, takes things slow and easy. There is enough pressure in this world without you adding a bunch on to yourself.

3.) Look at the negative thoughts you’ve written down and mark (P) which ones are based on your past and which ones are based on your future (F).

4.) Next, do some “brain-storming” with these thoughts. If you’re too tired do some “brain sprinkling” with these negatives. Ask yourself, “Are these things within my control or beyond my control? If there is no way to change the issue, draw a line through the thought. At the end of the exercise, if there is anything still on the paper, that means it is something that CAN be changed, so take a little MORE time and jot down ways you might reconcile the issue. Assume there is more than one right answer and so come up with as many right answers as you possibly can before stopping.

This exercise is about being more aware. Be aware of what is going on in your mind. Don’t just let the mind run wild . This is the first step to living in the present moment. Realize that you may only be able to live “in the moment”, for a few moments each day, but that is better than not at all, and if you continue, your time in the present will grow longer. The more aware you become the better able you will be to stop yourself from letting your negative thoughts bother you. If you become aware of the negative thoughts, that is the first step in learning to replace those thoughts, with the things that right now (the present moment), you are grateful for. Most of the time, if you can live in the present moment and ignore the guilty past or the worrisome future, you will find that the present moment is a safe moment, and there are good things going on in the right here and now. Be at peace with the moment, and with yourself.

Yesterday is ashes; tomorrow wood. Only today does the fire burn brightly. ~- Old Eskimo saying

The only time we can ever be happy is in the present moment. Memories of happy times are not happiness, they are memories. Anticipation of happiness, can actually be anxious times. The only time you will ever be happy is NOW, in this present moment. The only moment that we have control of, is the present moment.

Life can be found only in the present moment. The past is gone, the future is not yet here, and if we do not go back to ourselves in the present moment, we cannot be in touch with life. ~Thich Nhat Hanh