Monday, February 29, 2016
The present--Lorena
Buddha once said, “Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate the
mind on the present moment”. Buddha said these words thousands of years ago and it is still
something that most people in today’s day and age have not achieved. Buddha’s buddhism
focuses on the practice of the nurturing of the mind through meditation in order to be more aware
of one’s surroundings and to have a clear mind needed for “understanding oneself, other people,
and life itself”. The quote reveals the fact that the moments that are happening around us, are
wasted because too many of us are too wrapped up in trivial things. Many of us dwell on
mistakes and wasted opportunities, or daydream of would could be or what could have been, the
consequence is the fact that the moments happening now go unnoticed because we are just going
through the motions. One reason as to why the present is such a valuable time is because the
future fully depends on decisions being taken now. The emotions and occurrences that are in the
present affect the future because the choice you make right now can cause a chain reaction for
future choices. An example is, if you chose to help somebody around you, the feelings of content
or helpfulness will most likely drive you to do the same in the future, whereas choosing not to
help said person can lead to feelings of guilt for not helping, or can lead to further actions of
selfishness. Not to say that the future is controllable through choosing the right choices, because
sometimes decisions are not black and white. The point is that, the future is unpredictable and
there is no use sulking in the pondering of every decision ever made or every decision you are
making. This brings the question of analyzation of the past. Buddha’s quotes advises to not dwell
on the past but to instead learn from the past; mistakes and wrong turns are made as lessons to
learn from. Also, the idea of “concentrat[ing] the mind on the present moment” is something that
many of us have lost touch with. An argument can be made about going to a concert and
watching it through the screen of your iPhone and whether or not it can be considered to be
living in the moment. I believe living in the present really is accomplished through the act of
being aware of your surroundings, a way of achieving this is using the five senses. Not only
would it count to be physically being present but it would also manage to mentally being present.
This practice has been overlooked by many people because of different distractions. A relevant
excuse for modern times is the enticement of technology. One could argue that technology
allows for people to live in the moment by making sure they remember the past, through photos
for example. But would the ease of being about to look back on a photo, which can capture
emotions and surrounds, affect how the mind perceives the present moment? Would the ability to
have to mentally remember details and specifics be overshadowed by the ability to glance back
at an old photo? I believe the importance of the idea of living in the present helps us register
what really matter about what is going on around you and it is pertinent as the moments
occurring now will one day become fleeting memories.
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I'm glad I'm not the only one who thinks like this because I too have caught myself seeing through a phone rather than experiencing it in the moment, I too am guilty of obsessing over an unchangeable past. I like this piece a lot because it is thought provoking and I highly believe in Buddha's quote. Thank you for such an enlightening piece. - Alyssa Tandoc, Per 4
ReplyDeleteI really liked your word choice, like present and wrapped because they connected to your overall theme and I thought that was really creative. I think this is an important idea to think about right before we move on from high school, and because of that, it was a very relatable piece. Great Job :)
ReplyDeleteI struggle with this concept a lot, this whole "living in the now" kind of idea. I think there has to be a balance because the past matters, the future matters, and most definitely, the present matters. One can live in the now, but they can't forget how they got there or where they want to go. Memories with feelings tied to them, dreams and aspirations of the future, these are the key things (in my opinion) that make up humans. Animals live in the now, always. They eat/drink when they need to, procreate when they get the instinct, etc. In essence, I agree with your reasoning that mental presence as well as physical presence are necessary to actually live, but the importance of the past and future can not be refuted. Anyways, I think your flow is nice, towards the end, however, I think there are some awkward sentences, but the idea is still conveyed. Overall, fantastic job on dealing with this topic :)
ReplyDeleteThis whole idea is really thought provoking for myself, especially given where we are this time of year.I love the concept of living in the moment and can see your point about the concerts 100%. People are either glued to their screen trying to capture a moment in a video that they don't even get to see whats right in front of them. Great piece, I loved it.
ReplyDeleteBy the first sentence I knew I was going to love this piece. Loved the sensibility that portrayed through this. something that everyone is at fault at- being present and its affect. Great topic for an abstract idea!
ReplyDeleteI liked how you brought up an important idea of living in the moment. We all make mistakes and rather than being stuck in the past, we should grow up, learning from the past to ensure that we are doing everything right in the now. And instead of worrying about what's to come, its important to let things play out and remembering what we do now is what will count in the future. Good use of examples and quotes to support your ideas.
ReplyDeleteSo many times I find myself thing of what I did or what I could be. And while it's good to think of the past to learn from my mistakes and it's good to think of the future to remind myself of my goals, my whole life should not be consumed by this. This piece helped remind me to live in the moment because it only happens once. This piece helped serve as great reminder of my values.
ReplyDeleteI love that you incorporated your own meaning of being in the present with Buddha's. It shows that there are certain ideas that have been around for a while, but everyone can interpret them in their own way, that is relevant to their life. This abstract idea really made me think about the times that I do and do not live in the present and I believe everyone should focus on now to better the future.
ReplyDelete-Chloe Hopkins
Religion, life, and happiness. I enjoyed your view! great job!
ReplyDeleteI liked your perception of the present and the form in which you compare it to the beliefs on such a known philosophy, it made the piece be very impactful and understanding of the true meaning of living in the present without the past shaping or forming you.
ReplyDeleteGreat abstract idea! You're explanation of Buddha's quote is a good reminder how to better enjoy ourselves in the present and to not be so worried about the past or future but to live in the here and now.
ReplyDeleteThis is a really nice piece. This really helped waken my awareness of my surroundings. Wise words.
ReplyDeleteI loved this piece so much, this is something I think about sometimes, of living in the now, but I usually never end up doing such just out of habit, the concert example was perfect and very relatable. Good Job!
ReplyDeleteI like your idea of living in the present and learning from the past because its true. Sometimes we focus so much on our mistakes in the past but never really use those experiences for the betterment of our futures. And spending time on a television screen or liking pictures on Instagram all the time is not going to help us analyze our past. I feel we need give some time to ourselves to think about what we have done and consider whether or not what we did was for the good of others and?or ourselves. I really enjoyed this piece and fantastic job on the structure of your work. It really makes your words fall into place. Awesome Work!
ReplyDeleteI am a firm supporter of this belief. Most times I also find myself becoming fixated with items that take away from the grand scheme of life, such as social media, technology, etc. Your piece defines what we humans should all make into a habit, for that it will prove more meaningful and valuable in the future. Great work.
ReplyDelete