Living in the moment is often defined as living, or should I say ‘being’ fully present. It’s a good concept, and a noble aspiration. But it can also be a meditative state in which ones own personal oblivion takes precedence over the larger state of affairs. It, at times, can be an extreme, focused concentration as well, like in an emergency when all other concerns shut down, giving regard only to the task at hand. It is truly living in the moment, but it proves to be a resolute moment, fleeting in its existence, and in its degree of importance on the larger canvass of life. The adrenalin rush pushes one through the circumstance, but to live there would be an exercise in exhaustion, both physical and psychological.
There is, however, a more general context for living in the moment. There’s a popular consciousness, and push on, for people to seek to achieve that psychological state, to reach an acute awareness, a way of being, a full and deeper use of the now. It has grown out of eastern religious philosophies, practices and traditions, from western indigenous cultures as well. It is a perception, and perspective, that allows one to be free of the encumbrance of history, and the anxiety of the future. It is a place where many people seek to live, but few can actually afford the rent. It is not a place that is easy to embrace for long. Some people still have to make a living. It requires the suspension of what we already know, and disengagement from what we have hoped for. In this regard, living in the moment is actually a very effectual escape, but a vacation destination that is hard to find, and usually not worth the drive. A place to visit, but I don’t think you really want to live there. At least not for long. It’s always good to come home.
When we’re living in the moment life continues to go on, but it goes on around us, it does not include us. The way I see it, life can go on without me when I die.
