Living in the now: Philossophee

[Skykid]

Ever since hearing Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche's lecture at the beginning of Zeitgeist several years ago (first four minutes) I've tried pretty hard to seize the moment. But it's much harder than it sounds.

Jonny5 mentioned this in the 90's thread, which is why it popped back into my mind this morning.

Living in the moment, in the now, is stupendously tough. Perhaps it's because we're afraid to embrace what's right in-front of us, as Trungpa says, a fear of the present, which is why we're always looking to the future or the past.

Seriously, classic videogaming: all about looking to the past. The amount of time I've spent musing over nostalgic elements of my past is incalculable. One tends to do it automatically, as a comfort blanket, a safety net that takes you away from the present moment and puts you somewhere safe that cannot be undone or changed.

Likewise, the future. You spend your whole life with goals, trying to achieve things by stepping stone, but rarely do we stop to take in the present on the way. I always have something on the horizon that I'm working toward, and invariably when I get there, I simply realign new goals further down the road.

Sometimes, when I stop and actually try to examine the absolute now, like some Buddhist practitioner, I find my head goes a little dizzy and I can't hold onto it for long. Go ahead and try it: to summon up the absolute moment, the extreme present and savour it to the fullest. It's not long before your mind moves to the coming evening, next week's events, or the goal at the end of the year.

I don't know why comfort doesn't exist in the moment, but Trungpa is definitely right. Personally, I think the easiest way to seize the moment is in emotional extremes: fear and adrenaline for instance, place you right in the absolute present. Perhaps that's why sport or even videogames can be so cathartic, because they force you to react to the moment all the time.

Love, sex, intimacy, romance: all of these can root you to the spot because they're emotional highs you cling onto for the while they last.

Does anyone here really feel as though they successfully embrace the now, live in the moment, seize the day? Or do you find yourself commonly in a reflective or forward thinking state?

[trap15]

I've, uhh, never had any problem living in the moment. In fact, I'm absolutely terrible at trying to live in the future (I can barely plan anything 1 day in advance, let alone 1 month). I guess I kinda live in the past, but it's more living in the now with things from the past if you ask me

[Ed Oscuro]

I'm with trap15 here, I don't mind looking to the future, and I think there are a great many things to be cautiously optimistic about, which spur in me great sentiments of pleasure. /Hume

[Skykid]

Optimism is looking to the future.

I'm talking about being able to enjoy the absolute present moment and everything it has to offer, without delegating priority to things you have done/achieved, or will do/hope to achieve.

Personally, I find it tough to cut out reliance on those aspects and seize the solitary offerings of the now and nothing else. I might not be relaying it properly, but I'm not talking about 'living in the moment' in the trivial sense, as in "don't worry about the future, just enjoy today," I'm talking about always being completely conscious and completely aware of the present with each passing minute.

It's a spiritual thing, a meditative task in my book. Honestly, the best way for me to relay it is not to, but instead recommend listening to the four minute Trungpa excerpt in the OP.

That's one wise individual.

[HydrogLox]

Optimism is looking to the future.

• Always looking to the future is what prevents one from living in the now.
• The future is uncertain and can unfold in infinite ways.
• One can only act in the now. So acting in the now is the only way of guiding the unfolding future.
• The past cannot be changed - it is part of you and it grows with each passing moment.
• Passing emotions can color thoughts which build a perception that is easily accepted as "reality" even though the thoughts are nothing but "stories".
• To make optimal decisions one needs to be able to recognize these emotions and stories for what the are - without judgement or a need to "fix things" and give them the attention they are due - no more no less.
• To be able to observe emotions and stories rather than be controlled by them one needs to practice awareness and attention.
• Formal meditation is used to practice and hone awareness and attention on a daily basis.
• Being aware of these emotions and stories rather than being controlled by them, it becomes easier to be content in the now.
• Continued practice of awareness and attention can create contentment in this moment and any future moment so there is no need to fear the future. One can be optimistic about the future without "looking" to it.

The practice of "Mindfulness Training" has moved into the western mainstream consciousness over the past few years based on the work of a number of Western scholars who have closely worked with Eastern scholars, teachers and practitioners to find an approach to mindfulness that is more accessible to the "West".

Jon Kabat-Zinn founded the Stress Reduction Clinic at University of Massachusetts Medical School in 1979 where he developed MBSR - Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction.
Mindfulness with Jon Kabat-Zinn (at Google 2007-Oct-11)
Meditating about Now: On a Mindfulness Retreat with Jon Kabat Zinn

J. Mark G. Williams, Professor of Clinical Psychology at the University of Oxford developed with others MBCT - Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy.
Mark Williams on Mindfulness (at Conway Hall 2011-Jun-05)

Note that this is less about "enjoying" or "seizing the day" but overall well-being in the now.

Sometimes, when I stop and actually try to examine the absolute now, like some Buddhist practitioner, I find my head goes a little dizzy and I can't hold onto it for long. Go ahead and try it: to summon up the absolute moment, the extreme present and savour it to the fullest. It's not long before your mind moves to the coming evening, next week's events, or the goal at the end of the year.

That is completely normal - and the reason why formal meditation is used to ease your thoughts, that running (often inaccurate) commentary on your life out of the driver's seat and have awareness take over. Because of the necessary ongoing practice and commitment proponents do admit that "mindfulness may just be the hardest work in the world - at the same time, the work of cultivating mindfulness is also play".

Seriously, classic videogaming: all about looking to the past. The amount of time I've spent musing over nostalgic elements of my past is incalculable. One tends to do it automatically, as a comfort blanket, a safety net that takes you away from the present moment and puts you somewhere safe that cannot be undone or changed.

That is a bit of a generalization. You are correct if you are only playing the games of your past or because they remind you of your "golden-age" past. But just like a classic novel or classical music, a classic video game can be enjoyed right now for the first time for its own sake.
The STG genre has been much more popular in the past but just because the mainstream has moved on to mindlessly consume the "next big thing" doesn't mean that the genre is any less valid as a "game-like game" here and now. The STG genre will simply have to learn to work with the small cult following it has. If it means "that it has all been done before" then so be it - but it would be nice to see some stay "in print" just like classic novels or classical music.

[Skykid]

^ Wow, what a post.

Thanks for validating the thread for me, I was starting to think no-one would know what I was getting at. I'll browse those links now, but appreciate the insightful stuff.

[BIL]

I dislike nostalgising in general. I know to not disregard my past, but indulgence in it leaves me dead cold. As far as my future goes, I just try to secure it the best I can. Work in progress. If I get blown up on a bus or fall down the stairs tomorrow, eh, I had a good run.

As far as my gaming hobby goes, to roughly echo trap and HydrogLox, it's definitely not about living in the past for me. There are some things certain older games just do very well to this day. Any attached fond memories are incidental fluff, and if the content isn't up to my current (impeccably honed ^_~) standards it's gone from my life.

[Zerst]

Does the fact that a video game was published in the 80s disqualify it from being part of my today?

I think there's a distinction to be made between my today and society in general's here and now.

[brentsg]

I spent a good hour with my two 7 year olds last night, making sure they properly appreciated Donkey Kong. I'm wondering how this plays in..

Maybe my kids don't even live in the now.

[KAI]

I only care about the immediate future (even using every cell of my brain, I can't imagine my future) and have a terrible memory (I'm sure that's because I have no sense of smell). So yeah, Carpe Diem banzai!

[Randorama]

Is this the "I am on LSD" thread? Or the "let's try our Sokal writing skills" one?

[Ed Oscuro]

Haha. As soon as I read Skykid's reply, I realized this one wasn't for me.

[cools]

I understand "Live fast, die young" as a mentality. "Live for the day" however has always struck me as overwhelmingly pessimistic. You may die tomorrow, true - but in all likelihood you won't, and by embracing the concept with no thought of the future you're essentially dooming yourself to fate/luck/karma/etc.