The Either Side of Now
“Nothing has happened in the past; it happened in the Now. Nothing will ever happen in the future; it will happen in the Now.” – The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle
My soul awakens from a long unconscious slumber, hungry for purpose. I’m not exactly sure what my purpose is. However, I’m on a mission to find out. The awakening has led me to research, among other things, the soul, human consciousness, and spirituality. I guess most people would probably call it a midlife crisis, but I prefer the term midlife transition. It doesn’t have to be a crisis. Does it?
The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle has given me a better understanding of the trappings of the human ego and the illusion of time. The human mind perceives three distinct phases of time, the now and everything else on either side of now…the past and the future.
“The time on either side of now stands fast.” – Maxine Kumin
The now is this moment in which everything happens. Our memories, regrets, and resentment come from the past and our dreams, anxiety, and fears come from the future.
“On either side in Time, there’s nothing similar to Now, only memories or imaginings. The place you were ten seconds ago has vanished, and what is the place ten seconds ahead? There is nothing there. It’s very odd.” – Arthur J. Deikman
The past and future aren’t worth the amount of energy that we usually put into them. Spending too much mental energy in the past and future results in us completely missing the now where everything happens. We end up missing the only thing we ever have, this moment, the only moment there ever is. It is always now, but our mind is rarely in the now.
I have been trying to spend more time in the now. It isn’t as easy as it may sound though. The constant chatter of the mind and the practicalities of life continue to throw me into the past or project me into the future where I focus on things I can’t change or control. My human experience won’t let me escape the illusion of time just yet.
Here is where I capture my perceptions of those “nows” that have gone and my dreams of the “nows” that have yet to come.
