Human beings are the only vessels that allow their wake to alter their course...

Human beings are the only vessels that allow their wake to alter their course...

Sometimes a wolf pack is strong enough to bring down a grizzly bear, and sometimes the bear is too strong for the pack. The pack attacks and does its best to outwit, and wear the bear down. On the occasions when the pack fails, do they sulk and whine about it? Do they carry the failure around and let it alter their self-esteem? No, they simply move on to what is next...

Compare this to Humans. Humans take their failures out of the box (the proverbial box in the "attic" where old items are kept) and revisit them over and over, not only harming their self-image with each review, but doing so in a manner that projects the "harmed" self-image onto the future! A two-fer!

Seriously, we Humans live mostly in what is called "Psychological time" (Tolle).  Psychological time is where we spend our conscious energy either dredging up the past, endlessly recycling previous failures, hurts and injuries at the hands of others, whether they are imagined or real, and reliving and thus strengthening their power over us, or we spend it awful-izing about the future. Our Egos know on some level, that they have a tenuous hold, and so in order to bolster their importance they try to set up scenarios where we will fail. These failures lead to chronic worry about this failure and how we can act (draw attention to ourselves) in such a way that we can show ourselves as important enough to escape the imagined danger...

What is the net result of this? We miss the present moment and all of its potential. Our only point of access to life is through the present moment. The past is nowhere except in your head. The future is nowhere except in your imagination (once again, in your head). Most people experience some sort of anxiety routinely. They know something is wrong, but they can't put their finger on it... So, they look to the next moment to provide relief. Once they get to the next moment they are chagrined and say, "Oh no, it's the PRESENT again!" Not to be thwarted they try again...and again...and again. They keep trying because their Ego keeps needing reinforcement that it is necessary and important, and it can only prove this in their imagination (the future). The Ego considers the present moment to be an obstacle, a means to an end, or its enemy...

In order to take full advantage of the present moment you must curtail your Ego. The bliss of living is only available NOW. Also any anxiety, or other negative emotions you might be experiencing can only be healed or otherwise dealt with in the present moment as well. You cannot take possesion of your being when you are not BEing...

Today, make an attempt at staying PRESENT. Whenever you start to call up the past, stop, focus on your breathing. Notice the breath coming in and out of your body. If you feel yourself begin to worry about something in the future, apply the same technique. Recognize that you can only deal with this moment, and focus on that. Do your best with what is at hand NOW, and the future will take care of itself... Leave your wake where it is, behind you, and focus on the wheel in your hands...

Duffy