Beyond the Present

We focus on today and the past; often too much so.


Let me explain. Living in the present is a gift. All too often we avoid the present while preparing for the future or remembering the past. Living in all three ‘tenses’ is a gift (past, present, future) but only if it is balanced.


Knowing the past and the roots of today is important. It is perspective. It is anchorage in values and hard won lessons. Who we are and what we are comes from our past. However, if we focus only on that we will mislead ourselves.


The past is a mish-mosh of things good and bad. Knowing what is good from the bad is important. What in the past should we keep as we push forward? That takes discernment. It is not an easy job. But a necessary one.


The present should be fully experienced and valued. It is our life in full abundance right this instant. Many of us are not able to focus on the present because we are so distracted by the past and what we are asked to do in the future. Our attention is split into many pieces. We are unable to fully appreciate the present gifts: family, health, aromas, sounds, environmental factors of warmth and comfort, and so much more. We tend to focus on the uncomfortable, timing of events, order of things, and so on. We are so busy with the details of tasks we forget what will never happen again. This moment right now will never repeat.


A balance of past and present is needed to value the present. This balance teaches us the values of things, relevance and importance. Life is not all pleasure. Or effort.


The future will happen come what may. It is best done with preparation and a balance of past and present, however. Remember the old marketing tag line of Prudential Insurance?  “The Future Belongs To Those Who Prepare For It.”  A great line. Worthy, too.


But part of preparing for the future is fully appreciating both the past and the present.  Those two realities provide the perspective and value of what we want for the future. Getting beyond the past and the present helps us deal with the future. What do we want the future to be? What are its most important components? What resources will be needed to make it happen the way we want?  How do we get from today to tomorrow?  What should we be working on now?


This is work. It takes contemplation and serious analysis to determine what is valued and needed.  

The past informs us of many things. the present tells us where we are and the circumstances. But the future, that is for us to dream and shape and work toward. With all our effort and wits, we toil to make the world a better place. For reasons of value we do this. Those values are important. They are the gifts of life lived fully and yearn for many tomorrows to continue living so.


Are we prepared to do this work? Are we engaged in it? Or are we buried in the past? Too pleasured in the present? Distracted from the hope of the future?


In what tense do we live? Where ought we be?


November 12, 2019