We’ve probably all heard the saying, ‘There is no time like the present.’, but we’ve probably all dismissed it’s real meaning also. I write about time in regards to our perception, as well our possible perception, in my second book (The Indulgence of Self). It’s some thing, or some idea, that is easily ignored. Our main perception of time is often only associated with our social day: get ready, go, work, shop, drop off, pick up, drive, cook, get ready, go here, go there… The time we have is largely, or entirely, already predetermined. Therefore, our perception of it is as well. We are so used to going with the flow of events we call our lives, we never question how we see time and how we could. Our mental and physical calendars and agendas are exact or close matches. We consider time only as sectioned periods that make up our actions and lives- seconds, minutes, hours, days, etc- and what we plan to do, do, or did in them. This social construction of time, and the reality of the planet spinning and orbiting the sun shouldn’t be ignored, but it should be challenged.

What I mean by all this, is that how we view time and therefore what we do with it, is relative even though the time and it’s divisions are real. No matter what, you have twenty-four hours from the time the sun rises to the time it does it next. But, what you also have is the ability to not focus on that day as a day, or those hours as hours etc.; to not worry or fill your head with the knowledge of time divisions and what you may do, want to do or need to do. When people meditate for example, the idea is to mentally remove yourself from the information that you’ve accumulated in there (including time), to feel more at peace/free. That mental exercise doesn’t have to be an exercise. I’m not sure how to explain ‘the how’ in a reasonable amount of sentences, but it’s really a matter of willingness and you can bring yourself to a place (mentally) where you don’t worry or actively consider those established time-segments, tasks, and social responsibilities. It doesn’t mean you’ll forget to pick up the kids, get dressed or go to work. It means you prioritized peace and your existence more than any outside task, responsibility, achievement or desire for as long as it may be. If and when we clear our minds, and just exist awhile, we often find something seemingly obvious that we never realized. Maybe we’ll see that existing is a very lucky thing and it means exponentially more than we give it credit. We may see that we’ve wasted a lot more time and mind power riding our particular social identity wave than we really wanted to. There’s a possibility we’ll see our selves, aspects of our mentality we’ve ignored: a subconscious/automated desire for comfort (fear of discomfort), a conscious that doesn’t get used much and isn’t necessary to that daily life.

The cat’s out of the bag, but my real hope goes beyond people relaxing to find peace of mind. That’s important, but mainly because it might lead to finding more of who you are. You have the ability to learn from the past, instead of forget it, dwell on it or cherish it. In some very short amount of time, you can look at your mistakes, why you made them, feel the regret, and will your way to do something else.

In my book, I put it this way, “The present is when we live. Although it is an instant, it is essentially the time in which absolutely everything happens. This obviously makes it quite meaningful. If the present is when everything happens, then it is well worth utilizing. You will notice what you already know; you cannot utilize the future or the past in the future or the past. You can benefit greatly from the past and possible, but only in the present. The present is the now. It is existing. A lot can be learned from the past, but only in the present. The future may be possible, but the present is when that possibility will happen, if it does.”

Our lives, whether labeled, divided or scheduled, potentially mean a great deal. They, we, equate to each instance we survive, our presents. And individually, each of us alive is the only entity who can analyze how we live, try something else, and importantly, consciously alter it if we see good reason to. Every present flash we get, we are luckier to have than we’ll ever understand, so it is my hope more of us (including me) recognize this more often and change our minds to do something other than what we are used to.