First, our universe had to come into existence out of nothing. Then laws of physics had to be sufficient to create us. Stars and galaxies had to form so that earth and other necessary materials get created. Almost nothing in our body is created by our sun. Heck even water is thought to have come here from outer space. Countless supernovae burnt to forge the elements we see all around us and is crucial for forming human bodies. Then evolution had to occur in such a way that humans were formed. And after all of these miracles, here we are. Singing, dancing, forming tribes and fighting, exploring, building relationships and dreaming about outer space. How sacred and precious existence is!
When I consider how improbable our existence is, it astonishes me. It also makes my heart fill up with gratitude. For a brief moment in the space-time continuum, we get to live. To listen to music. To laugh with each other. To explore, learn and share.
Death is certain, life is meaningless. We are running on borrowed time and might die at any moment. We don’t take anything with us. Soon, we won’t even exist.
Well that’s one story. We can choose to tell a different one. Maybe a more apt description is- we can tell the same story from a different angle.
Story 2:
Somehow big bang happened. Laws of physics started to reign supreme. Time began. Things condensed and stars, planets etc appeared. One planet got some acid and stuff that can pass its data to the next generation. Natural selection took in charge. Soon there were life everywhere. Humans appeared. They have feelings and everything else, things that the other animals have. But they also think. Which is simply learning from the past and planning for the future.
But, some of them started suffering from their haunted past or glorious past they no longer have (or stand to lose) and worrying about the future.
This defeats the purpose of learning and planning. We learn and plan to make our experience of the world better. Latching on to the past just produces unnecessary suffering. Worrying about the future is wrong as death is our future. Entropy is real. Everything, even life will be taken away from us. All we truly have is the present moment. And the lessons from our past and our ability to plan for the future.
This makes us human.
If the purpose of a shoe is to shield it’s owner’s feet from the ground and the purpose of a dog is to be a dog, our purpose is to learn from the past and plan for the future. While we live in the moment.
They aren’t at odds with each others. The lessons aren’t in the past, they are with us now. They plans aren’t in the future- they are here with us right now. Now is when we apply the lessons and take action for the future. Life is now.
Then I conclude, the purpose of my life is to live in the moment while I apply lessons from the past and take proper action for the future. Because we can. Because this is our feature. The purpose of a pen is to write because- it can write. That’s its best feature.
Do I like this purpose? Well mostly no. I’d rather contribute to something that would last forever. But sadly, we haven’t come across any such thing that needs my help. Like, laws of physics may last forever, but how to I contribute towards it? It doesn’t need my help!
It’s being in one’s senses, not being caught up in one’s thoughts.
Have you ever feared that life’s just passing you by and you’re not really experiencing it?Has it ever occurred to you that you’re not what you could be- right now? That you are running on some kind of power-saving mode? Then you have lack of presence.
Actually, all of humanity has lack of presence, except some exceptional people. But that doesn’t mean everyone else is operating on the same level of consciousness. It varies greatly. The more present you are, the more enjoyable your life is. And not only enjoyable, but you also become more efficient as you can see things as they truly are and not be biased by preconceived opinions.
Presence lets you cultivate your own persona. It lets you break free of societal conditioning.
What does owning your mortality have to do with presence?
To understand that, you have to understand what truly blocks presence. We do have the answer. It’s your thoughts about past and future. If you can free yourself from those thoughts, voila! you’re present.
When you truly understand that you’re going to die, it is then that you start living. It is then that you start valuing your present moments more. Owning your mortality let’s you live every moment as if it were your last. It makes you feel that something wonderful is in your hands, and it’s not going to last very long. So you might as well enjoy it while it lasts.
One simple trick
Jessy Itzler
I was watching Impact Theory the other day and something ‘Jessy Itzler’ mentioned that stuck to me. He used to calculate his remaining days on earth by subtracting his age from average male life expectancy. Then he would write that down on his hand everyday.
I tried this for a while. It truly made a difference. It sounds morbid and depressing. Maybe it is; a little bit. But it’s a necessary dose of truth that I needed in my life. And I am thankful that I did it. It let me focus on what’s truly important to me and look through all the bullshit I’ve been telling myself.
Try this out for a day or two. See if this works for you!
Eckhart with Dalai Lama
If you want to take your presence to the next level then do check out Eckhart Tolle on YouTube. He is a master of presence. His book ‘The Power of Now’ always helps me gain sanity. It’s one of my favorite book.
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RaihanRiad 