“People don’t realize that now is all there ever is; there is no past or future except as memory or anticipation in your mind.” - Eckhart Tolle
Do you let your past haunt you?
Do you worry about the future?
What if you believed that neither really matter?
How would your life change if you lived in the moment?
Re: The Present
Very intelligent question, I am meaning to watch a Ted Talk about this and is validating my long held belief about being happy in the moment, it for me is a duty I owe to myself and people around me. Although your memories are the treasures of your life and I put a lot of effort into creating memories with loved ones. You do need to plan your future, set goals, strategize etc. I wouldn’t be here if I hadn’t planned to be here.
Re: The Present
I think the first question is very deep. The past may haunt in two possible ways. Something happened in the past which you had no contribution or the other way is something you did and now you regret. If its some incident or something thats done by others, its going to haunt for a long time and only new cherishing events like marriage kids etc can overcome it.
If something thats done by thyself, then different people react different ways. Some regret it, some dont. I’m the one with among the later one who usually dont regret. BUT if I drill down my memory skeleton, there are a couple of exceptions which I think if I go back I wont repeat it ever.
And I think everything matters. I have this discussion with my brother sometimes who always tell me never to regret past decisions, although one should thing hard before making it.
Re: The Present
When we realize nothing much is in our hands we start realizing that what is past is past. We hope that the future will bring happiness . We never really learn to live fully in the present.
Because of our natural defence mechanism. Its natural to think of the future and ponder over it. The past creeps in on us too coz memories, experiences keep getting triggered every now and then . Present is extremely temporary state of mind which becomes permanent in the form of those memories and experiences .
There , I have tried to throw all my philosophical spiel you way . :hinna:
Re: The Present
Tricky proposition.
Every thing what shapes us is either in the past, or a result of some anticipation.
“there is no past or future except as memory or anticipation in your mind”
There was a past
There, probably, will be a future.
Why is he twisting common usage of phrases ?
“How would your life change if you lived in the moment?”
do people not say such things in movies just before doing some thing incredibly unusual, in some bar.
Re: The Present
you know me well.
Re: The Present
Yes, everyone’s past haunts him/her somehow… so do mine… it’s how human brain works… and as Sid bhai said some regrets & some dont… I say either way we gets experience.. Our brain never stops thinking, whether its about older moments, time, ups & downs, joys, crisis, death of our loved ones, incidents, ocassions, future, etc… these thoughts are a pack of experiences that builds our personality & character too…
no one can really get out of a situation that is related to our very moments… because we are bound… we can stop thinking for a time being but ultimately we will fall back to where we left.. So, have a strong faith…
and because of this ^ we all are worried about our future more or less…
Re: The Present
I don’t think he’s twisting anything…
“There was a past”
The past does not exist today, except as a memory.
Meaning…if you wish to change something in the past, you cannot. Because it is not happening right now.
“There, probably, will be a future.”
The future has not yet come into existence hence it’s only a thought, an anticipation of what may come to be.
Meaning…we can try to manipulate it, but until it actually happens, it is nothing more than a concept with many potentials.
C’mon people…dig deep.
Re: The Present
I envy those people who let go of the past that easily. Somehow I find it very hard no matter how much I try.
Even if past is taken as a memory, its existence is still very very strong like a unbreakable knot.
I still see my childhood home in dreams with the current life characters in it. And I find it incredibly painful.
Re: The Present
I’ve done both. I used to be such a worry-er. Always worried what’s going to happen in the future and thinking “what if I did this instead” when reflecting upon the past. I’ve since learned to take things as they come and really be at peace with the “now”. My life has improved so much because now I am ‘creating’ instead of just thinking, dreaming and hoping.
Restored attachments:
Re: The Present
Just wait for few more years…When insignificant small events form the past would have power to give sadness… like a rusty metal left out side on cold January day. 
Re: The Present
So
now = 2017
past = 2016 and under
future = 2018 and above
Every thing you said is technically true
Lets try smaller.
now = apr2017
past =mar 2017 and under
future = may 2017 and above
Every thing you said is still technically true
Let try smaller.
now = this hr
past = past hr and under
future = next hr and over.
Every thing you said is still technically true.
smaller.
now = this nano sec, when you lay your eye on it.
past= nano sec before
future = nano sec after.
IF you freeze them all you are still true.
At this point we stop being human. But we are human beings.
Which is contradiction, so you are actually wrong.
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Once I open a thread, if there was no sun how could some one have inverted time, I did not get any clear answer.
so time is how we hold events in our head.
For our functioning properly we need time, hence future and past.
digging stops here!
Re: The Present
I’ll be back.
Re: The Present
This simple post relieved me of the massive amount of stress I held on to, hauntings of the past, worries of the future. The moment we are currently present in is the only time we can live in. We’re not guaranteed a future, and the past can neither be revisited nor changed.
Thank you for the enlightening post.
Re: The Present
good…
welcome to GS 
