PREAMBLE
Strangely, many people live in the past, in memories or in expectation of the future, while seeking to avoid the present moment, or exercising the spirit in inventing ways to “kill time”. Such people don’t live in the “here and now” but in a fantasy of which they are unaware.
The present moment is the “Here and now”; The present moment is all we have-the past is already gone, and we do not know if there will be a future; therefore, the present moment is a tremendous wealth to us. It is in the present that our adventure of Hope begins, and is the only time we have in our hands.
Being in the present moment, or the “Here and now” means that we are aware and mindful of what is happening at this very moment (Thum, 2008). According to the author, Myrko Thum, the present moment is all there truly is:
“The present moment is the only thing where there is no time. It is the point between the past and the future. It is always there, and it is the only point we can assess in time. Everything that happens, happens in the present moment. Everything that has ever happened and will ever happen can only happen in the present moment. Nothing can exist outside of it.”
IMPORTANCE OF LIVING IN THE PRESENT MOMENT
Living in the present moment or being present-minded is the key to staying healthy and happy- a tremendous mental health booster. It helps you fight anxiety, cut down on your worrying and rumination and keeps you grounded and connected to yourself and everything around you.
Being present and exerting our ability to be mindful not only makes us happier; it can also help us to deal with pain more effectively. Reduce our stress and decrease its impact on our health, and also improve our ability to cope with negative emotions like fear and anger.
HOW TO LIVE IN THE PRESENT MOMENT
It is very healthy and essential to think of the past and recognize successes, mistake and, failures and lessons learnt from mistakes. We should be filled with gratitude to God for the past, from which we have emerged to the present moment. It is also equally healthy to think of the future- plans and all, but with the right balance of thoughts of the past, the present and the future- this is one of the aims of Mindfulness and a key factor in living a healthy life. Thinking about the three aspects of past, present and future too much in an inordinate manner can have serious negative effects on our lives, but keeping the three in balance will help us to be happy and healthy people.
To get this healthy balance, the following guidelines may be useful:
-Think about the past in small doses and make sure you are focusing on the past for a reason( e.g. to re-live a pleasant experience and have cause to thank God and give Him Glory, identify mistakes and lessons to be learnt, figure out the key to past success, to gain more success)
-Think about the future in small doses and ensure you are focusing on the future in a healthy, low-anxiety way (e.g. don’t spend time worrying about the future; think about the future just long enough to prepare for it and then move on)
– Stay in the present moment for the vast majority of your time.
It is okay to acknowledge and label the past- and future-focused thoughts, categorise them and be aware of their importance. The important point is not to allow yourself to be swept up in thinking about the past or the future.
-Fidelity to a plan of life that includes practices of piety like Meditation, Spiritual Reading, Reading of the Sacred Scriptures, Examinations of conscience, etc., can be very useful. Engaging in regular physical exercises, including Deep Breathing exercises, can also be very useful.
THE ROLE OF FAITH IN LIVING THE PRESENT MOMENT
Faith has a crucial role to play in living the present moment and making the best of it. A key question to ask oneself is – “Who am i?”; If the answer is- “A child of God”, then the next question will be—“What am I supposed to be doing at this moment?” The answer should be— “Doing what I am supposed to be doing, planned or unplanned.” By so doing, you will have acted as a good child of God; you would have become a more holy person, an exemplary person, a great leader capable of leading others to great heights of sanctity. Take, for instance, you have a “To do” list which you would have accomplished by the end of a working day—you will definitely feel exhilarated at having used the time well- you’ll really feel good at having made the best use of every moment at doing what you willed or planned to do. What happens when you are faced with adverse circumstances when you are where you would rather not be? How then do you make use of your time in these circumstances? Can you still be exemplary and holy in these challenging times? The answer is “Yes”. That sounds abnormal; let us see this in the example given by Cardinal Francis Xavier Nguyen Van Thuan.
LOVE IN ACTION
Cardinal Van Thuan spent 13 years in prison, 8 of which was spent in solitary confinement in Vietnam, when the Communists came to power in 1975, after the Vietnam war and began repressing the Roman Catholic Church. He faced the stark reality that he was in prison; he decided to take advantage of the opportunities that presented themselves every day and to accomplish ordinary actions extraordinarily. With great prudence and tact, he wrote lots of messages to his people from prison; this later became the bedrock of his book titled “The Road of Hope”, which came to be written and published in 11 Languages. While in prison, he shared generously in the sufferings of his fellow prisoners and comforted them tremendously.
While in isolation, five policemen took turns to guard him and the Communist leaders had told them, “We will replace you every two weeks with another group so that you will not be ‘contaminated’ by this dangerous Bishop” At first, the guards refused to speak to him apart from answering “yes” or “no”. Welcome or unwelcome, Bishop Van Thuan decided to love the guards intensely- loving Jesus Christ in them; he began telling them stories of his trips abroad, of how people live in America, in Canada, Japan, the Philippines, and spoke to them about Economics, Freedom, and technology. This stimulated the guards’ interest, and they began asking many questions, little by little. Friendship blossomed, and the guards wanted to learn foreign languages-English and French, which Van Thuan taught them. He was thoroughly convinced that only Christian love can change hearts- not weapons, not threats and not the media.
According to Van Thuan, when love is true, it stirs a response of greater love; there a person loves and is loved in return and the new commandment of Jesus, “Love one another as I have loved you” (Jn 15: 12) is realized. He said that reciprocal love is the fulfilment of the art of loving.
CONCLUSION
The present moment is our great wealth; the past is already gone, and we do not know if there will be a future; therefore, we must live the present moment and to set our earthly life now on the course to life eternal. Bishop Van Thuan was convinced during his long nights in prison that living the present moment is the simplest and most secure way to holiness. In the Gospel, Jesus exhorts us to live in the present moment by asking Our Heavenly Father for our “Daily bread” and reminds us that there are enough worries for “every day” (Mt 6:34). To the thief on the cross who said “Jesus, remember me when you come to your kingdom”, Jesus responded, “Today, you will be with me in paradise.” (Lk 23:42-43). In this word “today”, lies all the forgiveness and love of Jesus.
If we believe in God’s love, then we can do what we believe to be God’s will with security, trusting that if it is not, He will set us back on the right way. Living the present moment is the royal road to robust and flourishing mental health- individually and collectively. St. Paul reminds us in Rom 8:28 that for those who love God, everything works together for good. According to Van Thuan, every word, every gesture, every telephone call, every decision we make should be the most beautiful of our lives, giving our word and our smile to everyone, without losing a second.
Caroline Ademiluyi is a Lagos-based Pharmacist and Fertility Care Practitioner.
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