The idea of the present moment can be thought of in three ways that can shed light on some of the complex and challenging theories involving time, space, and continuity.

The first way to think of the present moment has to do with existence. As human beings, we only ever exist in the present. Every experience that has ever been had happened now. That is simply that it was "now" whenever the experience happened. This idea has been talked about by famous philosophers, scientists, and religious thinkers in a number of works. It has become an especially popular idea in some circles which combine existential thinking and eastern religion ( like the work of Eckart Tolle or Deepak Chopra). The analogy is that we are human "beings". We are always being, or in the present moment.

Another way to approach the problem of the present is through the idea of continuity. We can ask does anything happen outside of time? For example if time stopped moving and then started again, would anyone notice? Of course not. If time stopped and restarted, the present moment would seem continuous through out. Because the human mind can not operate outside of the constraints of time, no change would appear. This shows how the present is tied to the mind in a form of necessary continuity.

The last observation is that of awareness and its relation to the present moment. We are all familiar with the saying "time flies when you are having fun". But, there is much more to it then that. In religious communities, there are notions that time and awareness are connected through the spirits of the individual or through God. There are also resent scientific findings that suggest the focus of the mind alters how time is perceived. The eyes and the brain are capable of processing information at different speeds depending on the circumstance. When new focus is put on an event of object, the mind temporarily speeds up its ability to process information and thus feels more "reality" in the length of time. An easy experiment you can do at home is to quickly look at a fan that is spinning away. When you first dart your eyes to the fan, you will be able to perceive the blades and direction of spin much more clearly than you will a second or two later. This is because your mind is literally getting more done in the same internal and thus expanding the amount of time it experiences.

The idea of the present moment is complex and has et to be fully resolved, but by examining some of its properties, we can better understand the relation the present moment has to do with our thoughts, decisions, and our lives.

Learn more about this author, Robert Findlay.
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