by Carl Conrad

Created on: February 12, 2009   Last Updated: June 29, 2009

Laughter happens now. It isn't in the future, although it may be. It may even be triggered by an event in the past, but it still occurs now. That's where we find everything when you get right down to it. The things that have happened are gone, the things that will happen haven't occurred yet. That's what makes the present so precious.

Living in the present is an opportunity to experience things; smells, tastes, sounds, touch, emotions. Only in the present can we seek and acquire things - confidence, knowledge, money, relationships. Things in the past and in the future are only mental images. We may aspire to new heights and new challenges in the future, but we can only realize them in the present. Even the past is only a springboard which launches us to that inevitability.

Isn't there always a tendency to want to relive those glorious moments in our past; excitement, euphoria, recognition, romance, triumph? And isn't it the past that they say we must continue to learn from so that we can keep from mistakenly repeating it? But the past is also fleeting and fickle, fading and refracted. As we drift into reverie, we lose touch with the reality that gives us everything. The past is something that can't be changed.

The future isn't any more luminous. It is often an illusion; uncertain and unpredictable, unknowable and often discomforting. We hope that it will bring great joy and success, but that is sometimes left for a time that never comes. Full of possibilities and opportunities, bursting with enthusiasm and commitment, it is the future that we can never reach; a place where our expectations are often transformed, and our certainties unpredictably vanish.

The present is constant and eternal; not overstated, never embellished. It is certain, definite, conclusive and reliable. There are no frills or delusions. The present is where we always are constantly, continuously, and unerringly. It doesn't follow us or precede us, it accompanies us. We can never step into the past or the future, we must always remain where we are at the moment.

However, it is possible to miss things in the present. We might overlook something or mistake something for something else. We might miss an opportunity or turn in the wrong direction. Even then, it still remains the present, and we must always confront its certainties.

That's why it is so important to be aware of each moment as we live it, to fill the present with as much joy and happiness as we can. For it is in the present that we are able to reflect upon the past or to speculate about the future, but neither exists without the present. It is the door through which all must pass.

Learn more about this author, Carl Conrad.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.