Seeming Contradiction
2 Corinthians 4:18- So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.
I can’t be the only one who has noticed the focus that living in the present moment, mindfulness, or as Eckhardt Tolle calls it; The Power of Now, has gotten as a manner of effectively navigating this modern life. I wonder if I’m also not alone in seeing that the message from many religious and/or spiritual sources (like the bible verse above) communicating the triviality and impermanence of the physical world we live in creates a bit of a contradiction? I mean what am I suppose make of that? I’ve got one school saying that the key to satisfaction and internal peace is keen awareness of the world in which I live while another instructs that I’m actually existing in a mirage with the only realm that matters being an invisible or spiritual one.
If that last sentence leaves your head cloudy or even spinning, fear not, I’m right there with you! Although not perfect and often coming up short, I do try to live in a way that my existence has as much of a positive impact on the world as possible. Accepting that I’m void of any superpowers leaves me to focus on how I affect the people who I interact with each day as my only real area of influence. Within that focus lies the aspect of influence I have on others and as Maya Angelou astutely observed, “People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel”. So what is real and lasting is how my actions affect the way other people feel.
I may be grasping here, but trying to reconcile this seeming contradiction of living life seems to be impossible: While the material reality in which we live is but a flash in a greater epoch, every moment should be lived with maximum awareness and intention despite the impermanence of it all. Fear not dear reader, believe me, I’m confused too! Knowing myself to be prone to black or white thinking and prey to oversimplification as a way to approach many abstract thought dilemmas, perhaps it’s best to approach this conundrum with some flexibility. For really the problem is being myopic on any memory…as Buddha advised, “Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present moment.”
While I’d love to nail down a simple idea for how to approach daily living: Being hyper-focused on living each moment mindfully or the serenity of knowing that the true spiritual and permanent realm is always in order and according to plan existing far beyond the current moment. Perhaps this is another of those dilemmas without an either or answer? It is possible to experience life fully immersed and appreciating each moment fully aware and with the unwavering peace that everything will be ok…actually, it already is!