the past, future, and present

“Two elements must therefore be rooted out once for all, – the fear of future suffering, and the recollection of past suffering; since the latter no longer concerns me, and the former concerns me not yet.”

– Seneca

This quote from Seneca reminds me of the interview with Russ I referenced the other day. When asked by Kyle Beats what he had been working on, his response was “being present.” I don’t remember his exact quote, but he explained how he realized he was always living in either the past, thinking about what he should have done differently, or living in the future, thinking about what he was going to accomplish or do. He was missing out on the only moment that existed, which was the present moment.

Russ went on to explain that, looking back, it seemed like time flew by, and he didn’t remember much about it because he was not present to experience the moment fully–he mentioned Eckhart Tolle’s The Power Of Now as an important book that helped him appreciate the present moment.

It’s very easy to be fixated on past moments, both the “good” and the “bad,” and/or to think about a future that is not here and may not happen; it’s almost harder than ever to sit back and appreciate the present moment with all of the distractions we can find that lead us to think about the past and the future.

But as Seneca, Russ, and Eckhart have all reminded us, the present moment is the only moment that actually exists—so focus on enjoying it while it is here.

​
See you tomorrow and keep pursuing,

JC