Live for Now

One of the hardest things to do is to live in the now. People may not realize it, but an enormous junk of their daily lives are spent brooding over and analyzing the past, or fantasizing and creating the future. How often do we stop to actually live, now? This topic was first made known to me during a farewell talk with out priest back in Convent. It has since then come up countless times in my own thoughts and occasionally conversations. Recently as well, now that I'm doing Philosophy, 'being aware' is a major aspect of it's teachings. Can you sit still for two minutes and let your senses totally take over? Think about nothing of the past or future...just receive the sensations of the present letting it go in and out and not stop to take hold of it or analyze and store it. It can be the most exhilarating two minutes of your day.

In the wider picture... I realize that very rarely do people actually live and enjoy the present situation for what it is. We live life always wanting to be somewhere else...be it literally or circumstantial. Having goals and dreams are far from bad, it can sometimes be necessary. But how much do we get caught up in these thoughts? Are we actually sacrificing the pleasures of the present all in the hope of gaining our own desired pleasure of the future? A rather blunt example, and the actual instigator for this entry, is that of my overall living position. I've always dreamed of somehow being able to take a year out of my life and do nothing but read and relax... no school work to worry about what so over. Nothing to do but just live for the day. Due to a twist of fate and the hand of God who works in mysterious ways, I've been somewhat granted that wish. However, I've spent months thinking about how all I want is to go back to school... I just want to study again, learn, accomplish academically. I let myself get caught up in this desire and now I've realized that I've sacrificed days and weeks of my own peace of mind from just not choosing to enjoy the present. I'm sure that at one point in the academic world, I'll be wishing for these circumstances all over again.

You need to be aware... recognize and stop certain stimuli before it seduces you. Stop...breathe...and as cliché as it seems, count your blessings!

Our minds are made in such a way that we don't need to process information while we are receiving it... we just need to be open, and just receive! It may not be as gratifying as memorizing a passage from a book for example, but in living in the now, being still and open... that very same information will be made known to you when you need it. It's something of taping into that universal knowledge...that wisdom that has mesmerized people for centuries. It's like I read in Dan Brown's "Angels and Demons" ... you don't need to 'figure out a solution' ... you just need to 'remember' the answer.