On Mindfulness

The past does not exist and neither the future. Whatever we experience is happening now in the present. We tell a story about what happened or what’s going to happen, but this story is being told now. What we take for the past are patches of feelings and thoughts stored in our nervous system. They can be pleasant or unpleasant and can make us happy or not, and may push us to act. What we imagine about the future is also put together from the same stuff and can have a similar effect. There is a great wisdom in nature that equipped the human being with these qualities, so we could survive, learn and develop.

No, I am not pretending to know the mystery of life, I just want to amuse you (and myself) playing with some possibilities based on the above statement. Abolishing the past I can abolish all the hurting, unhelpful and cruel thoughts, ideas and stories that I keep about myself. Renouncing the solidity of the past I can allow myself to choose what I want to keep, I can select memories and convictions as I select clothes, food or books; I can have a look, consider and decide. I can’t change the past, but I can reorganize my concept of it.

I can do the same to the future. I can play with it. I can decide to go for a game of the best possible scenario and create a picture of the future that is outrageously beautiful, exciting and successful.

Why not? It’s a game. Let’s not bother about “but”, “how” and “impossible”. Let’s jump straight into the perfect dream. For once let’s concentrate completely on the happy life. Let’s live it as it were just here and now. It is easy to do it in meditation allowing a dream to be felt as reality. The power is in the feeling; the energy is in the feeling. This energy of now is creating the future. Be mindful of it. Give unconditional love to your dreams. That’s the best New Year resolution.