It's only in the present that the future can be moulded...
At the time of considering this part of SIL Observations, I came across numerous posts on social media:
'Reality is created in the mind of the individual'
'The future is now'
'Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present moment'
The very next day I received a series of text messages from various individuals (no associations with each other at al) The messages went along the lines of:
'Look to the future, forget the past, stay present'
Thinking this was evidently a message from God I considered tearing my garments, sowing sackcloth over my skin whilst I meditated on these messages.
The wandering mind...
A gift and a curse, the past became so vivid and clean, when memories came flooding in, it was always with glitz and glamour. Everything that occurred in the past was seen with a certain finesse. Relationships were better, friendships were awesome, the whole being and personality was greatly exaggerated to be this romanticised version of oneself. Hard times were easily forgotten, replaced with the hardships of the present moment. Of course, this was all due to the unsatisfactory feeling of the present.
When the future was seen, it was invariably quite blurry, nothing was clear, bits and pieces of a life long puzzle floating in the atmosphere waiting to be put together by a concrete idea, a reality.
David Goggins once said talking about the various 130 hour hell weeks he endured:
"...what I realize about the mind is those people who can be in that time and embrace that time and be in that moment and not allow the mind to go to 129 hours on hour one... you cannot think about the whole process, it will make you so insanely crazy, it's impossible... you have to be able to break all these big humongous painful things in life down to the smallest molecule because that's all the brain can handle, the brain can't handle hours and hours and hours of suffering, but it can handle right now..."
The key is to remain present no matter what the present brings, do not think too far into the future not look to the past to escape. Stay with the suffering stay with the task, your brain can handle now.
"I think right now the journey is faced inwards, I'm quite aware of my feelings in the present. Rather than worrying about the future or the past, I'm trying to navigate by reflecting on how I feel, this is what I need right now because of the current situation, pandemic and isolation and so on."
A response by an individual when asked how they were feeling and processing life during this pandemic.
Your feelings aren't wrong, its a guide to what one should or shouldn't be doing in the present moment. Navigate this by pausing to breathe every now and again, become aware. I suppose an observation of one's feelings and thought patterns is required daily.
See it, do not become it.
Learn from it, do not let it consume you.
So to conclude this fragmented scribble, do not place your heart in the past, do not leave your mind in the dreams of the future.
The answers you require is already there within you in this present moment.