The Art Of Living Here And Now
Being present seems obvious, and while it should be, it’s actually the exception. Because? Because true presence is more than being physically in a place: it means connecting with one’s essence, which is beautiful and imperturbable. Unfortunately, this inner peace is disturbed, sometimes even violently, by our thoughts and emotions that make us move away from the present moment, from the here and now.
The art of living here and now
1. What we are not: our thoughts
Descartes, the famous 17th century French philosopher, said: “I think, therefore I am.” This phrase defines the way in which the modern human being defines himself, that is through his ideas and thoughts. However, there are currently other points of view that allow one to disagree with the erudite and respectable philosopher, because, even if thoughts and ideas are powerful and important, they do not cease to be relative and fleeting. That is to say, if we defined who we are by what we think, then our identity would rest on quicksand.
What others or even ourselves think of us, for example, does not define us, they are just concepts that will never come to embrace our true essence. The endless stream of thoughts that make up our inner dialogue produces a noise that prevents us from listening to the beautiful melody that comes from our presence and makes us move away from the present moment.
2. Another thing we are not: our emotions
Since Freud introduced the concept of the unconscious and began to interpret it, psychology has tried to identify the ways in which we perceive our mental and emotional life. As a scientific discipline, this is based on a mechanistic and rational model, with an emphasis on pathology or disease. If we exhibit certain symptoms or behaviors that mirror certain patterns, then we are labeled, treated and even condemned to “bear” the burden of a “mental illness” for life.
Although it is undeniable that emotions are part of our humanity, these too, like thoughts, are fleeting and do not represent the deepest and truest part of our being. Emotions are temporary phenomena such as thunderstorms or hurricanes, they always pass and the firmament reappears unperturbed because in reality it has always been there, however scandalous the meteorological (or psychological) phenomenon may have been.
As a result, as Eckhart Tolle, author of the bestseller The Power of Now would say , “Don’t take your emotions too seriously.” They are stronger than us only if we identify with them and let them take over us. Do not be deceived, your presence is above the emotions and is imperturbable. From the height of presence you can observe the storm of your emotions which then passes: accept them, live them, but without suffering unnecessarily. Be assured that your presence is you and you are an inexhaustible and permanent source of peace and happiness.
3. Other things that we are not
The list of things we are not does not end with thoughts and emotions, in fact there are many other things that disconnect us from presence, such as identifying with our abilities (“I’m smart” or “I’m stupid “), Possession of material things (” I am rich “or” I am poor “), titles or successes (” I am executive director “,” I am a doctor “or” I am a delinquent “).
All these conditions come and go and are relative, in fact they are nothing more than concepts and labels that are not presence, presence that we have today and who knows tomorrow. However, they haunt us because they keep us away from the present moment, which would instead allow us to connect with ourselves. So, we worry about what we have done or stopped doing in the past or we are anxious about what will happen in the future.
It is therefore necessary that you now embrace only the here and now, the present that is in your hands. There you will find the presence, the best gift you can give to yourself and to others.
