The Present Moment is Precious — Don't Waste It
Everyone realizes that present is the sole reality. We could perceive it and live in it. However, when it passes away, it becomes history. Then, it moves out of our control. Beyond the present lies the future. It is the consequence and result of the present. It is shaped, carved or destroyed by the present. Present actions provide basis to the future. Past lies behind the present and future is ahead of it. Both are away from us and we only have the present moment.
Present has immense importance and impact, as it is the only period which is in our hands; we may utilize it or waste it. Only the current moment could be used or wasted, but it is also a truth, an indisputable truth, that there are only a handful of people who stand firmly in the present time and possess the courage to accomplish something. This is an arduous task as the mind does not stay in the present. It is so inconsistent that either it keeps wandering in the good and bad memories of the past or keeps dreaming of the future.
Renowned Sophist Nietzsche has said that it is not possible to touch the same river twice, because when we try to touch it again, by then, the moment has changed. With time, the stream of the river also changes. Similar is the significance of the current point of time in life. Time is always flowing and could be promptly utilized only through realization. Only those people could stand up and face the present properly, whose minds have the accurate conception of prudence and realization. Otherwise, the mind either runs towards the past or gets indecisive and thinks about the future.
Past proves beneficial if we learn from it and use the experience in acquiring the skills required to utilize the present appropriately. If this could not be done and the mind keeps revolving around the events of the past, then it develops abnormalities. The mind does not accept that the past would never return and it makes no sense in wandering in the memories of happiness which cannot be returned. On getting engrossed in past memories in this way, complexities are developed in the mind, which eventually lead to psychological disorders. On the contrary, the mind lost in mere imaginations of the future, remains trapped in day-dreaming and cannot achieve anything significant in life.
Sufism proclaims — "Make apt use of every moment, otherwise it would become indifferent to us and then, it could never become our own." Thus, renowned Sufi sage Jalaluddin Rumi says: 'Oh mind! Stay in the present; don't wander in the past or the future.' Crude thoughts, which do not pertain to the present, put a veil between man and his creator. This veil confuses us and makes us wander in the cycle of birth and death. By living in the present, we could remove these obstacles, illusions and doubts of the mind.
Upanishad expounds — 'The eternal is hidden in the moment and the universe lies in the atom. One, who recognizes the significance of the moment, comes to know the eternal truth. Similarly, one who disregards the existing moment eventually breaks his relation with the eternal. One should not commit the mistake of considering small as worthless, as it is the channel which leads to the Supreme. One could move ahead only through the present. The Supreme could be attained by making deep and immense contemplation.'
Living in the present requires great courage. Those who could demonstrate this courage, those who could make apt use of the present, attain the highest peak of success. Such people are not only brave, but they also possess the power and ability to change the future. They know that the future needs to be created, carved and adorned and this could be done by making optimum utilization of the present moment.
How to Use the Present?
First of all, our aim should be clear so that we may know what we have to do. We should never try to imitate others. We should not be like anyone else, but only be ourselves. We should develop our originality. We should analyze our caliber and potential in the light of the set goal and think carefully whether our goal is worth achieving.
We should divide our aim into smaller parts and give precedence to them, based on the priority, and then move on to achieve it. The work which has to be done first should be done first; it should not be postponed for the future. Otherwise, optimum utilization of time won't be achieved and the aim would also not be attained. To make constructive use of time, it is essential to accept the discipline of every second and put it into practice.
Every moment of life is important. The value of every second is neither greater nor less than any other second. It is useless to wait for any special moment to achieve the aim and attain bliss. Those who know this fact generate happiness in every second and those who keep waiting for some special moment or time, waste their entire life and remain empty handed at the end.
"Sakaram-anurtam Viddhi, Nirakaramtu Nischalam — All which have form are false; the formless is the changeless. The Self is Undisturbed, Profoundly Peaceful and Ever-Formless." — Ashtavakra Gita
"Do not be led by others, awaken your own mind; amass your own experience, and decide for yourself your own path." — The Atharva Veda