Living in the Present

People often speak of the "Past" and the "Future" as if such things were just as real as the present; and in a sense, they certainly are. In another sense, however, there really is no such thing as the past or future. There is only the present—the eternal NOW. Viewed in this light, the past is nothing but a previous "Present" and the future is nothing but a pending "Present."

When I was in college, I had the opportunity to attend a broadcast of a speech delivered by the famous historian and author—David McCullough—who has written a collection of marvelous books on famous American leaders, including John Adams, Theodore Roosevelt, and Harry Truman.

George Washington
1732-1799

In his speech, McCullough was commenting on and promoting his book, 1776, which focused on the leadership of General George Washington during a critical year of the American Revolution. As McCullough spoke about this unique year in American history, which took place over 200 years ago, he said something very interesting I will never forget. He noted that the men and women of the revolutionary period did not live in the past.

They lived in their present.

Washington Crossing the Delaware in December 1776

He went on to remark that unlike us twenty-first century citizens, who look back on them and comment on the strange nature of their hats and clothes and customs and vernacular, their whole world was unfolding for them in real time. Consequently, there was nothing strange about it to them—it was all just as real and vivid and vibrant as our lives are to us today.

From that point onward, I never looked at history quite the same again. The entire, vast, panoramic vista of the past began to come into present focus for me. Consequently, its unfolding scenes of drama and drudgery were no longer painted in the the blacks and whites of archaic photographs and illustrations, but in the full spectrum of lucid and lustrous colors provided by my present imagination.

Throughout history, the greatest men and women, boys and girls, were those who figured out how to most fully and effectively live in their own present. And regardless of the generation in which a person was born, those who spent too much time dwelling on the past or worrying about the future, ended up floundering, faltering, or even failing by comparison. That is the Power of the Present, or as one author—Eckhart Tolle—puts it in the titles of one of his bestselling books: The Power of Now.

Ralph Waldo Emerson
1803-1882

A great philosopher and poet of the nineteenth century—Ralph Waldo Emerson—once put it this way: "Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery; today is a gift—that's why they call it the present!"  

"Yesterday is history; tomorrow is a mystery;

today is a gift—that's why they call it the PRESENT!"

— Ralph Waldo Emerson

All human beings spend time thinking about the past and preparing for the future. If disciplined and exercised in moderation, both activities are important and can serve as productive uses of one's present time. But taken to extremes, a fixation on the past can quickly begin to consume us in regretful brooding, while obsessing about the future can fill our minds and hearts with unrealistic hopes or immobilizing FEAR—also known as False Evidence Appearing Real.

Obviously we should reflect on our past thoughts, speech, and actions in order to analyze our results and make course corrections in the future. We should, of course, also plan carefully for our future. Nevertheless, wise self-action leaders avoid the "analysis paralysis" that evolves from spending too much time on the past or future. Instead, they spend most of their time being fully engaged in and otherwise seizing (Carpe Diem) the present moment—the eternal "NOW" of their lives. By so doing, they live their lives to their fullest and experience the most happiness, joy, and success along the way. By so doing, they further discover that their past and future has a way of taking care of itself as long as we are doing our best in the present. As Jesus once insightfully put it: Take no thought for the morrow, for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself; sufficient is the day unto the evil thereof.

"Take no thought for the morrow, for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself; sufficient is the day unto the evil thereof."

— Jesus

In what ways do you get bogged down in either your past or future? What could you do TODAY to begin living more fully in your PRESENT in ways that will empower you to let go of the past and more effectively prepare for the future?  

Whatever that thing is, do it... and do it NOW!

"Dost thou love life?  Then do not squander time; for that's the stuff life is made of."

— Benjamin Franklin

          

-Dr. JJ

July 21, 2021

Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, USA

Author's Note: This is the 221st Blog Post Published by Freedom Focused LLC since November 2013. 

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