The Irreverent Reverend --

Be Here Now

I try to take a long walk in the mornings.

This morning as I passed a number of people along the way, something stuck me.

While some people -- even strangers -- acknowledge each other along the way...

...just as Jesus said we should...

...others are so much into their own world of thoughts...

... that they don't seem to be "really there."

It's a shame.

Not only are they are missing much of the beauty of what's around them...

...but they aren't availing themselves of the many advantages of...

...being in the now....

...the many advantages, for example, that Eckhart Tolle stresses in The Power of Now--A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment.

True spiritual masters have always stressed this...

...and according to recently discovered (but long suppressed) ancient texts, this includes Jesus.

The future is at best a promise...

...the past is just a memory.

All there is, is now.

When you think about it you must conclude...

...God is — could only be — in the now.

Today, even theoretical physicists...

...talk about the eternal now being all there is.

The only reality.

All else is just a mental creation.

Dust in the wind.

But truly being here now is one of the most difficult tasks in life.

Our minds are too busy with, as it says in The Little Prince,...

..."matters of consequence"...

...which from a truly macro point of view..

...almost never are of enduring consequence.

It is as if our ego-minds were programmed to obsess about whatever was handy...

...major, minor, whatever -- just something.

Oftentimes, people have to have major heart attacks or near-death experiences before they reevaluate their lives...

...decide it's time to adopt new perspective...

...a stop and be totally aware with a "smell the roses" perspective.

Possibly you can start on that on your next quiet walk...

...and try to expand your awareness beyond yourself...

...to encompass everything around you...

...all of creation...

...God.

Modern Directions