Why be in the present moment?

[alexie]

I find it really hard somtimes to just to stop and feel the present unless im watching tv, playing games or doing an activity. Bascially somthing thats is distracting. If your just sitting around or waiting, it is hard to enjoy the experience , cause it is plain boring and thinking about the future or past is more enjoyable.

As well, by being in the now, are we hindering our ability to multitask. For example, while driving, isnt it better to listen to the radio or talking to somone next to you.

I dont really believe by always being the now will make our lives more joyful unless we are engaging in activity. Imagine being trapped in a jail cell or waiting for dentist, it is normal for us to shift our thinking to the future or past because the present is boring.

[jojo]

I think *awareness* could be the key here. To me, being in the moment is not so much about having a blank space and not thinking about anything, but more about being *totally present* and absorbed in what I am doing.

So for example, if you watching TV just to veg out, then be aware you are watching tv to veg out. If you are meditating about the future or doing visualisations, be aware that that is what you are doing...I am not sure if these examples make much sense!

I believe that having awareness with what you are doing is what is important and this is what creates a higher level of consciousness within you.

This is easier said than done!

Many smiles!

[desertlady]

You said that you fill your present with distractions. I think if you analyze your own words, the message is quite clear.

To quote E. Tolle:

"The quality of your consciousness at this moment is what shapes the future -- which, of course, can only be experienced as the Now."

So what is it that you want?

[Dharma]

I don't think you've found the moment yet. If you do things that are distracting... you're not there. If you're bored... you're not there.

You can multi-task in the present. Listening to the radio while driving is a great example. You can be totally immersed in the experience of driving while the radio is on.

You can be in the moment while sitting still or involved in an activity. We go to the future or past as a reaction to being in the present too long. (Which can be a couple of seconds for most people). Lots of space gets opened up when you are present, and many don't like that, so they fill their lives with distractions. Sitting still and being present really makes us aware of the space opening inside of us. So, waiting in the dentist office or in a jail cell will be very uncomfortable if you'rr not comfortable with expansion of self.

[judge45]

I used to love thinking about the past. I was very proud of the fact that I could mentally move back and forward through the past to any point at will instantly.

Then I realized that I was literally living in the past and sometimes putting bad things from the past into the present. The only place you’re ever real is in the moment, right now. It’s the only place change can happen, the only place where you can feel alive.

Remembering the past with joy may make you happy in the moment, but it’s an illusion, it’s in the moment you feel the joy. The emotion is present not past. You could just as easily experience joy by looking at something enjoyable in the present moment.

The definition is important I think because change, growth and true happiness are present bound.

You can’t time travel and feel good yesterday or tomorrow, they can never be real. It took me a really long time to get this concept, now I never or rarely think of the past or the future. I’ve realized that the moment is where all the power is, where all the joy is, where awareness is and the only place I can affect change.

The more I understand the moment as being all there is, the more I see other things like time having less meaning, it’s as if I’m in a constant stable moment and the illusion of time is just a mechanism to reflect growth.

To consider the moment at all means you’re looking for an understanding of it, that’s a good thing.

HTH

Jeff

[alexie]

Yes good points here. I think the objective here is to find activities or things that you enjoy to do in the present moment. So doing the things you enjoy is very important. for example your job, if you hate what you are doing, it is hard to enjoy the present moment and it would be better to shift your thinking to somwhere else.

There is nothing wrong in thinking about the past or future, just do it moderately and not lose focus on the present when its important. i.e. when you are out with friends or on a vacation, dont think about your future investments or taxes you have to do, set aside that time.

Imagine if your 80 years old, all you got is the present.

[starlet]

I *never* think about the past. The past taught me a lot but would easily be considered baggage. I live mainly in the present, seeing everything around me abd feeling so grateful about it, how amazing my life is and all the gifts I have. When I think about the future, I don't think that it will be better, I think about how in the heck can I feel more joy then I already am feeling now Living in the moment is easy, once you get the hang of it.

[Cantando]

So, where or what exactly, is the present moment? What is this thing going around, like a rash, that we have got to be totally present now all the time and we feel like a failure if we are not?
Surely, it is often very beneficial to be in different moments, letting your thoughts wander, picking up useful insights and realizations here and there, as you wander through the avenues of your consciousness (just don't do it while you're crossing the road!).
Going by the usual sense of the phrase, if I was totally focussed on this moment, now, typing this in, I would be totally bored! If I totally focussed on a moment that occurred, say, 10 years ago, I would be there experiencing it as if it was the present moment.
I like the idea that we are like twinkling stars, pulsating on and off. When it is on, we are here, now, in this moment. Then it goes off, but where does it go? Well, it goes on again, but in another lifetime (past, present or future) or dimension or universe, and there we are equally as conscious as here.
Without any apparent separation in space or time, you twinkle on again here, into this present moment. You just don't remember where else you have been 'twinkling'!
Perhaps, integration of the self means finally becoming aware of all your different, twinkling states of consciousness.
Is there a parallel with quantum physics here - qarks, leptons and all that stuff, with sub-atomic particles strangely disappearing and reappearing somewhere else?

[Freelancer]

To me being in the present moment is like lifting a cloud hanging infront of reality, your memory's and projections of the future are the cloud. The only thing you are sure about is the present, so to discover how reality works you have to explore the now. Because the mind has a tendency to pull up smoke quickly in the form of illusions (past/future/boredom) its a very difficult practice to stay in the now. I'm only at the start of that journey, but I can see the benefits at the end and frankly I'm scared shitless. Its scary to explore reality, but fear is just another way of your mind to distract you so thats what I'm working on now.

Anyway so for me being in the now has the benefit to see things as they are and accepting them without forming mental images.




Ps This is mostly from Mindfulness In Plain English which is a great e-book, and I suggest anybody reading it who's interested in meditation/being in the present. The writer has a very engaging and elegant writing style once you get past the first few pages...

[Angela]

Originally Posted by alexie

Imagine if your 80 years old, all you got is the present.

No matter how old you are, all you got is the present!

[starlet]

Originally Posted by Angela

No matter how old you are, all you got is the present!

Very zen! And very very true.