Each moment exists on its own, independent of the moments that came before it. Future moments are yet to occur and may never happen. All we are left with is what is happening now, in this moment
We can think of time as having two perspectives: conceptual and experiential. We can conceptualize that time has a past, a present, and a future. But we cannot experience the past or the future outside of our heads.
Experientially, there has been nothing before this moment, Each moment that we experience is not linked or bound to the ones that came before it. The moment is always here, without a beginning.
It reminds me of a dream, where I am in the middle of an experience but can never remember how the dream started.
We only ever experientially encounter the now, but that experience can be freeing. If we can only experience the now, there is no past to regret, no future to worry over.
In other words, the past and the future are left to the mind to conceptually think about. That is not to say thinking of the past or imagining the future is bad, but merely to note that thinking is different than experiencing.
If we spend too much time in our heads conceptualizing, we can miss out on experiencing each moment. A moment never to be repeated.
What do you find helpful to stay in the moment, to experience the present and get outside of your head?
If you found this helpful or interesting, I would love to hear your thoughts! The more we learn how this practice helps each of us, the more we can collectively improve. Please feel free to leave questions or comments below.
Continue reading about the nature of now with: How Long is Now?
Find the full list of mindful thoughts here.
