You and the Now

365 Days of Creativity

day fifty three

You and the Now

For all of your material possessions, all of the people, all of the shit you surround yourself with, you don't realize that you will always be alone. The lover or wife that you hold so dear, the boyfriend that is "a part of you", these people are alone too. Emotional connections and coital interactions aside, there is nothing but you.

You came into this world alone, and you'll leave this world alone. Even surrounded by the other 63 passengers of the failing flight 232, really and truly you are left only with your inner self. Your soul, your sense of self, your true Being.

And in your last moments, it may be the first time you realize this, and it may scare the shit out of you.

That you are not your car, you are not your Rolex, you are not your "better half". You are not even your past or future. There is a you beneath all of that. A you not programmed by society, a you with it's core thoughts and feelings. Not the trivial thoughts that run through your mind on a dat-to-day basis, but the true fiber of your very being. Your most natural instincts. The ones not controlled by your past or future. But the present you. Your everyday mind is constantly swallowed by memories and either hopes or worries for the future. Never truly able to relax into the present, to feel every other living thing, to know things without thinking about them. This is you. Your very center. And if you don't try to connect with it, it will scare you in your last moments.

If you do get an inward glimpse through your pain and physical possessions, the Being that you see may seem like a stranger to you.

Think about how you overreact when something you own breaks, think about the moment of false accomplishment you feel when you buy something you've wanted for a while. Think about your goals. Are you working towards another purchase? More shit to fill your empty life with? Is your goal with your job? A promotion? Is any deeper meaning finding it's way into your life? Do you strive for spiritual enlightenment or global understanding?

Make a daily to-do list, and leave the tasks on the page. Don't constantly think about them and all the stuff you need to get done. You have your list, you're organized. Let your mind rest and simply absorb the now. Don't let yourself dwell in the past or project into the future. Because both will always stay where they are. But the Now, the Now is always immediate, ever present. Stop trying to be something, and simply let yourself be.

Inspired by Eckhart Tolle's The Power of Now.
I recommend everyone reads it, the book will open your eyes to a part of you you didn't know existed. Will make you examine your priorities, and allow you to really know yourself.

Best wishes and sincere hopes you reach true knowledge,

Foxx.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Power_of_Now