I have never given much of a thought to living for the moment till recently. Looking back in the past, I sometimes relive memories which were fond to me as if they were real and is happening all over again. Those are good memories of course. As humans we tend to block out the memories that we don't want to and only retain those we want.
I somehow relive memories from the past when thinking of how bad my situation is in the present. Or so I think (it's bad). What has kept my happy memories happy all these years? I gradually came to a realization that, those memories were happy ones because at that time I lived in the moment. Enjoying every happy moment made a permanent impact in my mind.
Many a times we feel lousy or down and think that tomorrow will be a better day or next month or next year, we are not living in the moment, it's more like living for tomorrow or living for the future. I for one am guilty for that sometimes. I always compare my life now for what may be or what could be in the future and tend to 'fast forward' my life to the desired moment in the future which I think my life will be better or brighter. Every time I do that the movie Click flashes to mind. It's like taking a remote control you got from Bed and Beyond and pressing the fast forward button to the future.
Many people say, yesterday is the past, tomorrow is the future, today is a gift, thats why it's called the present. I'm pretty sure many people (yours truly included) go thru the motions in life on automatic mode, more like drifting through life without any emotions, without any thought and without any care. I'm sure you go thru that as well, ever had a day where you forgot which day of the month it was? Or was so deep in thought that you didn't realize how you drove yourself to work and arrived at your destination? Thinking is hard, that is why so many people choose not to engage in it. After all, why waste time thinking when you can live automatically?
We work hard because we don't want to end up miserable and poor living in a cardboard box under a bridge or a freeway. But in the process of working hard, we achieve everything we want, a big house, a big car and the more earthly possessions we have, one fine day we wake up and realize... whats the point in all that when it all means nothing to us? We, as humans have failed to live in the moment. The ultimate entitlement, luxury and enjoyment that has been granted to anyone and everyone living on this planet which is life and we, in the process of chasing material luxuries and enjoyments have failed to use this entitlement which is to live.
There's an article on http://www.selfgrowth.com/articles/Mathews2.html by Joseph Mathews called 'The Power of The Present Moment' and inside that article there's a line that says 'Death creates a deadline, a deadline creates an urgency, urgency creates action and action produces results'. I want to ask a question. Is our urgency to die or to live? Because as we speed thru life without living it, then our urgency is probably to die. But if we enjoy every moment of our lives and live it to the fullest, then and maybe then, our urgency is to live.
After realizing all this, I realized that my whole life, 33 years of it has been spent planning for some time in the future where I think I'm going to be happy, comfortable and have achieved my dreams without even realizing that maybe now I can be happy, or now I am comfortable or now I have achieved everything I have ever wanted in life. Well, because I have been speeding thru life planning, scheming and preparing for a brighter future, I intend to slow down and accept the fact that to live in the present moment is much more rewarding than an uncertain future.
Of course the whole process of slowing down and changing pace may take time, weeks, months and even years but I'm sure that once it's finally achieved I may see things in a whole different light. Just like when the mist clears and we can 'see the forest for the trees' I wish to live my life to the fullest for the moment.
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