I’m on the final chapter of The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle. It’s been a great read, insightful and profound. The books ethos is essentially that living in the present is the only true reality, pondering and/or living in the past or future creates unnecessary emotional hurdles and are just illusions on your mind, because the only true reality is now.

This view is shared by a wide range of philosophers and religions as a whole, including Buddhism, Hinduism, Taoism and the Stoics. The ability to maintain presence is often both difficult in maintaining as well as underestimated in significance. In today’s age with everything at your fingertips, constant temptation as well as constantly being bombarded by these unrealistic and overhyped views of some stranger’s life create a massive blockage for people to just be in the moment. It’s ironic that so many want everything they don’t have but underestimate everything they do, overestimate the future, ponder on the past and underestimate the now.

Sure, sometimes the present can be difficult but like Lao Tzu, maintaining the flow of the river is crucial to continue to the destination. Allowing yourself to fall into the riverbanks and become stuck will prevent you from moving forward. This includes everything, good, bad, past and future.

As I read through memoirs of philosophers, religious text and various self help books I find myself seeing such simplistic views and what it means to be a human, what is means to be happy, how to achieve happiness, be fulfilled and find purpose. Be present, look inside yourself, be good to yourself and others, seek opportunities to help everyone.

The power of now opened my eyes to some universal laws of energy and how nothing external can provide the deep happiness that everyone desires. Sure there are a range of surface level ‘pleasant life’ happinesses, but when you break it all down, how can anyone be happy on the outside if they are not happy on the inside and how can anyone be happy on the inside if they aren’t present in their moment, in their now?

Ironically it may be difficult in todays society to not ponder on the past or idealise the future and sure there would be elements in both of those that could spark happiness through memory or dreams but I think being present is a vital component, possibly the most vital component in the search for happiness. Understand yourself, your now and find contentment in all the surrounds you. Be happy my friends

“Be happy in the moment, that’s enough. Each moment is all we need, not more” - Mother Teresa

Thanks,

Dean