The idea of living in the present is timeless and wise. At my place of employment, I was given a small, plastic sign that had the words, “Be here now,” emblazoned on it to place on my desk, reminding me to stay focused on the task at hand, thereby reducing errors. Other great thinkers have said it more eloquently (1):
“The secret of health for both mind and body is not to mourn for the past, worry about the future, or anticipate troubles, but to live in the present moment wisely and earnestly.” – Buddha
“Remember then: there is only one time that is important – Now! It is the most important time because it is the only time when we have any power.” – Leo Tolstoy
“The ability to be in the present moment is a major component of mental wellness.” – Abraham Maslow
“You must live in the present, launch yourself on every wave, find your eternity in each moment. Fools stand on their island opportunities and look toward anther land. There is no other land, there is no other life but this.” – Henry David Thoreau
Henry David Thoreau’s appears last not because it is any less significant but because, as someone who has been known to pen a verse now and then, his strikes me as profound. “Find your eternity in each moment,” Thoreau said. Eternity implies without beginning or end. Each moment’s eternity, then, is shaped by events that happened even before I was born and is influenced by what I believe the future to hold. I’m sure you would agree that is so easy, and detrimental, to live too often in either place. Neither is who I am, although they may think it otherwise. The key, then, to living fully in the present is to place the past and the future in their proper context as shadows as they relate to the present. As British philosopher Alan Watts once said, “I have realized that the past and future are real illusions, that they exist in the present, which is what there is and all there is.” (1)
From a poet’s perspective, this has some significance to me. Whatever it is that inspires me to compose a sonnet or verse, the inspiration comes in that present moment. Yet, I don’t know where it will lead or how it will get there. The lines flow and are altered, sometimes through several iterations. The finished work eventually comes out and often is not what I had initially envisioned. I think this is partly what Thoreau was getting at in his unique way. A poem is born in the moment, but it is shaped by the eternity in that moment.
A.E. Fonner
(1) habitsforwellbeing.com. “20 Quotes about Living in the Moment.” 10/8/18.
A poem is born in the moment, but it is shaped by the eternity in that moment.
