I frequently advise folks to “live in the moment” or “embrace the now” or some other mindfulness related recommendation. But what does that actually mean? And, more interestingly, is there even a “moment” to live in?
Thanks mostly to Einstein, scientists currently believe that space and time are somehow unified, and that the perception, and even the pace, of time varies depending on location and speed of travel. I realize that sounds like I might understand or even agree with that outlook. But in reality, I have no idea what that means. Space and time are unified? Huh?
My own life experiences have convinced me that both “past” and “future” exist only as thoughts. Neither is a real place – a place that we might visit if only we found the right worm hole or warp drive. No, there is only what I like to call, the “eternal now” (credit to whoever first coined that phrase). There is no time element in the now – it is not a “moment” that can be measured or even a point along a “flow of moments.” That’s all just our minds trying to make sense of the phenomenon of existence.
The eternal now is existence itself. Maybe that’s what Einstein was getting at when he conflated space and time. Each is a perception – an idea that we impose on the eternal now so we have a comforting story about existence. Humans seem to need comforting stories.
Be Here Now
If past and future and time are just ideas, and all we have is the eternal now, how does that knowledge help us live happier, more fulfilling lives? Excellent question – glad you asked.
Some of you may recognize that subheading. It’s the title of a book published back in the early 70’s by a well-known spiritual dude named Ram Dass (nee Richard Alpert). That book is widely considered the baby boomer’s introduction to eastern spirituality. I highly recommend the book, but I warn would-be readers that there’s much eastern religious gobbledygook amidst the scattered strokes of wisdom. Baba Ram definitely did some drugs with his buddy Tim Leary in the sixties. Still, definitely worth a read.
Among the wiser strokes are the discussions revolving around the message in the title: how to live here, in the eternal now, without getting caught up in the continuous thought-fiction that we all persistently create. It definitely ain’t easy.
I’ve described a beginner’s meditation practice in previous posts. So, for this one, I’d like to discuss how to apply the mindful insights you all (hopefully) have achieved from your daily meditations.
Living Mindfully
Our minds are like energetic kids, continually jumping from thought to thought as we move through our days. I suppose “move” is the wrong descriptive. How about: as we continually manifest our lives within our respective eternal nows. Those thoughts are products of our survival-honed brains, which have decided that continuity is key to continued existence. The key to happiness, however, is found in recognizing the fictitious nature of those stories.
Living mindfully, although difficult to sustain, is relatively easy to understand. It’s simply paying attention to the present rather than mentally elaborating on it. When you wash a dish, pay attention to washing that dish. When you listen to music, just listen.
Like most healthful behaviors, living mindfully is a habit that can be honed. Each time you catch yourself thinking of something other than the activity at hand, and you let go of that thought, you hone your capacity for mindfulness a bit further. Keep catching and letting go of those thoughts. Soon, your intruding thoughts will loosen their grip on your attention. You’ll never be completely rid of them – they are an integral function of our evolved brain. But the more you catch and release, the less hold they will have on you and the more nows you will experience, which is the whole point.
The Power of Mindful Intention
My thoughts about past and future may be just that – thoughts. But does that mean my past experiences didn’t actually happen? And what about this sagging skin and thinning hair? Surely, I’m actually aging and not just thinking about it. Right?
Our eternal now is definitely subject to continual change, and we perceive that change as elapsing time. But it might better serve us to view it simply as a continual and persistent manifestation of life within our eternal now – a manifestation that we might influence with mindful intention.
Mindful intention is my substitute for the process of goal setting, which can lead to perpetually living in a fanciful future while ignoring your actual life. Try this: set a specific time – each day or each week or once a month – to mindfully set an intention, such as the intention to improve your health or change your job or make a friend. Then, list a few habits that you believe might, if implemented, lead to those intended outcomes. Finally, practice letting go of your thoughts about the outcomes themselves and focus solely on implementing those habits.
The habits are the important component here. I’m just as much a prisoner of wishful goal setting as the next guy. But if I make an effort to set aside the daydreaming and focus on the daily habits that I decide might lead to that wishful landscape, it seems to help keep me present and mindful. I’ll address habit forming more thoroughly in another post.
So, what time is it? It’s time to live.