We are interesting creatures,
Us humans.
We live in the present moment,
As does everything.
This moment now is all that exists.
But we have the unique capacity,
Maybe not unique,
But we definitely use it a lot,
To see the past and the future.
We can perceive of multiple different outcomes.
We can remember what happened in the past and try to change our futures to better serve so it doesn't happen again.
So we're constantly being pulled between this moment now,
A mindful focus on the fact this is all that is or will ever exist.
The ever present now.
But we can be in the now focusing on a time that isn't now.
This causes us intense duress.
Be ruminating.
We're anxiously worrying.
We're planning.
We're contemplating.
We're replaying events in our head again and again and again.
Potential futures branching off,
Multiple different choice points,
Branching,
Branching,
Branching.
It all becomes too much.
The future is coming.
We cannot stop it.
We can guide our path through.
Ultimately,
Really.
A lot of things happen to us.
We are victims of trends and forces of society,
Of nature,
Of the universe,
Of our bodies.
We didn't choose to be born,
Nor did we choose our place or time to be born,
Or the parents that raised us,
Or anything else.
Really all we have is this moment.
I'm trying to find or pass the difference between those two things.
This present focused awareness,
The living in and for the now,
With a focus on the future.
Because if you only focus on it now,
You fall too well.
Base fears or fears.
Cravings effectively.
You are just living for the moment and not worrying about the future.
That leads to a bad future.
Because the future is coming and we've got to plan for it.
But if we can live in the present,
Be in the present,
Be here now.
That leads to happiness.
There is an old Zen proverb or you know those meditative proverbs that offer a scenario for you to contemplate.
The basic premise is this,
There is a monk who is holding on to a root from a tree off a ledge and he's about to fall.
There's a lion up above.
If he climbs up,
He'll die.
There's a snake down below that's gonna bite him.
But in front of him is a strawberry.
Grabs the strawberry and he eats it.
He knows he's going to die,
But in that moment,
That very moment,
He's accepted that fate.
And what can he do in that moment.
You can enjoy those last five seconds eating that strawberry.
A little bit fanciful,
A little bit silly,
But we can apply that to the context of our lives.
Whatever led up to it at this moment happened.
Whatever will happen,
Will happen.
But where's the strawberry?
In this moment.
