The Right Moment

The Right Moment

"I am all right, right now" - Gurudeva, Merging with Siva

Perhaps some of us could be feeling very miserable now--facing deep financial problems, trapped in an unhappy marriage, hating our work, feeling lonely and demotivated. But if we analyze it carefully, our lives only become unhappy if we continue regretting the past and never stop worrying about the future.

For most of us, we are actually quite "alright", right now. The present is "perfect" because we are alive, we are thinking and we can make choices. If we are convinced that this particular moment is alright, why should the next moment be any different? Or the one after that, and so on?

Well, one could argue that this is simply blind optimism. Perhaps. But then we could also ask ourselves: how else should we live life? By complaining perpetually about how miserable life is? By blaming the world for all our problems? By cursing how unlucky we have been in life?

We fear a lot of things about the future because it is full of unknowns. Those unknowns could hurt. But then again, those unknowns could be filled with goodies too? Why should we be so pessimistic? I suppose we are pessimistic because we are bracing ourselves for the possible pain that could hit us. We dare not hope too much for we fear that we will not be getting them and then the pain will be too much for us to bear.

So we would rather choose to start suffering future pain now. At the same time, we are also dragging with us the burden of the past. Hence every second of our lives is filled with fear and apprehension because the moment it arises, it is already contaminated by the past and threatened by the future.

We cannot change the past. We do not know what the future will bring. But we can control the present. We own the present. At the moment, I feel perfectly alright. Everything is right. I am in no mortal danger. I am typing these words, and I am at peace. (At the same time, you are also reading these words, and you are at peace).

The present is all we have. All we can experience at any one time is this moment. Gone. Yes, this moment. Gone. And we only know one thing: everything about this moment seems right. No? Gone. Right? Gone. Hmm... Gone. OK... Gone. Right... Gone. Right. Gone. Right. Gone...alright, alright! I'm all right, right now!