80. The Here and Now

It has been said that power lies only in the ‘here and now’. But what does this mean? It occurs to me that this current moment of ‘now’ becomes the next moment and the next, like a continuous string of beads. Therefore, our experience of everything can only come from this continuous moment of now. This includes revisiting our past and imagining a possible future. In practice, the ‘now’ becomes easily available to us, when we bring our awareness and focus to our physical breath. This feels equally transient just like our present moment. Yet, how does this elusive ‘here and now’ contain all the power of creation?

The answer may lie in the difference between being consciously aware and present in this moment and being absent minded to the nuances occurring within that moment. To create anything that is of our choosing, we have to remain consciously engaged through every moment of that creation… especially if we wish to improve our experience. The Japanese technique of kaizen suggests to focus on small improvements each moment, instead of trying to do everything at once. Building on this moment-to-moment reality, helps to keep us rooted in what is actually happening. This includes the nuance of the situation, meaning of the words being used and behaviour and actions being influenced by our own emotional projections.  This then leads to the next event, whether we manage to build bridges or barriers! Either result would be powered by our own presence in that moment (whether with awareness or not!).

It takes courage to acknowledge that we indeed control the creation of our own reality. Taking note of how I react in a situation and what triggers my responses has led me to realise that it is a life-long study! There appear to be many layers and levels to how I acquire my personal reality. However, the fact still remains that any changes I desire to see, can only be actionable from the ‘here and now’. There is an apt saying, “whenever I awaken, becomes my morning”. The power of this awakening can only be experienced in the current moment of now … otherwise it becomes a reflective musing, being re-experienced, ironically, still in the here and now!