On The Importance of The Moment

Thought for the moment: The time of sentience is the present; not the past, not the future. The here & now is the only time we experience. Our senses teach us to pay attention to this moment but our thoughts drift to the past or the future, though we are not meant to act on yesterday's fatigue nor tomorrow's appetites- only today's. The more we dwell in these other states the more out-of-tune we become with reality and begin to suffer from regret/remorse, guilt, stress, anxiety/fear, etc. as opposed to the needs we have at this moment, which is enough to occupy our thoughts.

It is an unfortunate case for our society that runs on excessive future-planning and scheduling and a culture of entertainment that focuses too heavily on the past. And yet the irony is that we are constantly searching for an escape from these temporally-challenged realities in search of what feels more real and experiential in the moment- love, attention, stimulation, drugs, sex, war, pain, sleep and other quests for satiation of our bodily and spiritual, temporal needs. Why do people love sporting events so much? It's because of that rush of excitement in the now that one feels with other fans, that connectivity and validation from seeing in another person what one is experiencing in the present. Why is fashion so important to us? It's because we crave that attention. Why are we an overweight, substance-addicted, and over-sexed culture? Because we need that stimulation; all of these issues address our needs in the here & now. And the stronger the influence of the past or the future bares upon us, the more intense our present needs cry for attention; demanding from us actions and solutions.

It's not a crime to think about the past or the future, but it is a problem if you base your life-your present- upon it, because the past is gone and the future is not guaranteed. Only the breath we breathe is the reality we need-not yesterday's breath, not tomorrow's. So how do we find a balance between our past, present, and future? Only by giving to what is due here & now, will the past, present, and future quiet down and stop competing for your attention.