Many thinkers have emphasized the fact that the future is just a guess and the past is not really here anymore. We only have the present moment. “The Power of Now” by Eckhart Tolle is one example. Jesus said something like “Give no thought to the morrow but put your faith in God.” Pay more attention to the “nowcast” than to the forecast. The now is richer than it seems. Describing or just noting what things are like inside you and around you, within sight and earshot, can be quite complex. Impossible in fact, since nobody really knows everything about what is current in their heads and bodies, much less in their basements, attics, roofs, and yards and in the minds and bodies of others in the house, right now.
“Be in the now” or “be here now” are common advice to pay attention to what is in front of us, what is currently, actually, here. I try that regularly. I feel that I have a grasp of the value of being present, often called being mindful, of what I am and what is happening right now. However, there are limits to the idea.
To be human is to plan, to reflect, to have and treasure memories and accomplishments. Anticipation of the delicious meal, soon being with a long-absent friend, hearing a piece you love. The future and the past may be only concepts but they are treasured ones. Our consciousness of them, our ability to describe and discuss them with words are essential features of being humans.
