The Present
“We are living in a culture entirely hypnotized by the illusion of time, in which the so-called present moment is felt as nothing but an infinitesimal hairline between an all-powerfully causative past and an absorbingly important future. We have no present. Our consciousness is almost completely preoccupied with memory and expectation. We do not realize that there never was, is, nor will be any other experience than present experience. We are therefore out of touch with reality. We confuse the world as talked about, described, and measured with the world which actually is. We are sick with a fascination for the useful tools of names and numbers, of symbols, signs, conceptions and ideas.” Alan Watts
It seems to be true. There are times when I am playing tennis or in a meditative experience with Lou Ann that time doesn’t exist. However, most of the time there is a part of my mind that is recalling what occurred or anticipating what will happen next. We are so conditioned by the artificial invention of time. Perhaps the meaning of life is just to be alive. It is so plain and so obvious and so simple. And yet, everybody rushes around in a great panic; as if it were necessary to achieve something beyond themselves. We are a function of what the whole universe is doing, in the same way that a wave is a function of what the whole ocean is doing. We are the infinite experiencing itself. It might be time to relax and just enjoy the now. From my present moment heart to yours, Thomas