Here and Now

Time and distance no longer matter when the only moment is now and the only place is here. Memories lose their grip on the soul at that juncture. All existence takes place in the present; neither the past nor the future intrude during that precious point at which the here and now is the only reality. The past and the future exist, but only through the enlightened lens of the present.

Yet one must travel along a road that exists only in the imagination to get to that place. One must struggle through thickets of doubt. One must surmount walls of confusion, which block the way, or find a way to bypass them or knock them down. The countless obstacles to reaching that tranquil haven collude to spoil the journey.

Perhaps that is why only a few among us reach that place. Those who do seem serene and at peace, even though chaos surrounds them, as it does all of us. They call to the rest of us to join them, but most hear in their invitations only the cries of the deranged, the howls of the lunatic.

That inviting place is not a mystical sanctuary visible only to the chosen few. But we allow ourselves to believe it is an oasis reserved for the magically enlightened. Rather, it exists in an attitude reserved for the driven, the determined; those strong-willed people who dedicate themselves to understanding how to extract every speck of joy and wisdom from every experience.

Would that I were among those who deploy such determination to achieve that perspective. The objective is never impossible to reach; it just takes single-minded commitment. That can emerge at any time. Or it can rest, undisturbed, forever.

About John Swinburn

"Love not what you are but what you may become."― Miguel de Cervantes
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