NOW


"Caretake this moment. Immerse yourself in its particulars. Respond to this person, this challenge, this deed. Quit evasions. Stop giving yourself needless trouble. It is time to really live; to fully inhabit the situation you happen to be in NOW." 

- Epictetus



Presence is the essence. In today's day and age, it is no secret that our attention spans have, and are still decreasing rapidly. We have become slaves accustomed to instant gratifications in almost every aspect of our modern daily lives.

We have glorified convenience over pretty much everything else, including human suffering.

Now don't get me wrong. I'm not trying to paint you a gloomy picture of modern-day society, rather my objective is to pinpoint a very detrimental aspect of our current way of living, that is not to get better unless attention is drawn to it... No pun intended.

Okay, so what does that have to do with the above-mentioned quote from Epictetus or stoicism?

Several things, most notably virtue, but most urgently, PRESENCE.

To be present is to be alive.


Think about this following statement for a second:

 "If you are not fully present in whatever it is that you're doing then you are not actually doing it."

In order for you to fully and truly experience anything in life, you need TO ACTUALLY EXPERIENCE IT.

DUH!

But what is to experience something?

To experience is to be fully present in it. To focus with all your mind on actually doing this thing is TO LIVE IT.

 

This a vital aspect of stoicism. To actually be present at whatever task it is you're going through.

Reading through the meditations of Marcus Aurelius, the discourses of Epictetus, or the letters of Seneca, you are to consistently come across this sense of urgency and presence.

Some might call it mindfulness, some might call it a zen-like state of focus, some call it meditating on the present moment.

But whatever you might call it you must actively strive to reach it.

Because we all need it, especially now more than ever.

In a time where we let our minds take flight for it is the new norm.

Where we lose touch with our bodies, and pretty soon we’re engrossed in obsessive thoughts about something that just happened or fretting about the future of what might happen. Leading us to anxiety and depression.

What we must comprehend is that reaching a state of full presence and awareness is within us and within our grasp, and that's the best part.

Because in reaching it you will find immense joy and gratitude for each and every moment you spend doing whatever it is you are doing. 

Only then will we begin to really live.



AMOR FATI

 

 

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