Time is not the most valuable thing that man has - why it is time to direct the focus away from time.

"Time, what is it, actually?" I've been asking myself this question a lot lately. Time is everywhere; time determines our lives; it's a quantity that, upon closer inspection, governs almost everything. Time seems to exist in many dimensions, and yet we've been measuring it the same way for thousands of years: in seconds, minutes, hours, days, years.

Moments in which I become aware of the construct of time

Last Year Everything turned out differently than expected. Again and again. And just when you think everything is slowly settling down again, the next complication, the next event, the next catastrophe comes along.
Didn't we all think in 2019, "2020 is such a wonderful year, it's going to be a truly amazing year?" Oh man, how wrong we were. As if the universe wanted to get one over on us precisely because of this euphoria. Well, maybe we deserve it, who knows.
Every now and then, you pause and suddenly realize how quickly time has flown by. The last two years have flown by; what exactly happened? At the same time, you think to yourself: So much has happened in the last two years. I've grown, the world has changed, people have come and gone, things have happened.
How can these two feelings be so opposite, yet so close? Crazy.
Autumn again? But summer has only just begun!
A new face came into the world, at the same time a soul had to leave this world.
When it's midday here, it's already evening in Japan. On paper, it looks like people there are living in the future. And yet, we're all experiencing the same moment.
Time seems to pass so quickly when you're with the right people. It seems endless when you're bored or doing something you don't like. And yet, an hour always has 60 minutes.
“But why exactly 60 minutes?” I ask myself and drift off into articles, books or videos about time as a physical quantity.

In our thoughts, we're almost always in the past, or in the future. But the past is already over, and the future doesn't yet exist. So what are we left with?

Here is a quote from Eckhart Tolle:

"Time is not precious at all, because it is an illusion. What seems so precious to you is not time itself, but the only point outside of time: the now. And that, however, is precious. The more you focus on time, on the past and the future, the more you miss the now, the most precious thing there is."

I think that sums it up quite well: All we have left is the present moment. Over the past few years, as I've been exploring mindfulness and spirituality, I've encountered this "wisdom" time and time again: Focus on the present moment, because that's all we have. In the moments when we feel truly alive, we are completely in the here and now.

And that's really true. Just think about the most precious, most vivid moments you've experienced: Why were those moments the ones that made you happy? Wasn't it perhaps because you were in the present, letting go, and enjoying yourself?

How do I manage to be truly present in the present?

In my experience, this (unfortunately) is purely a matter of practice. It's crazy how much we've forgotten how to live in the here and now. You only have to look at small children. They're always playing, romping, suffering, or laughing in the moment and always seem completely focused on what's happening right before their eyes.

Of course, life is a challenge. Things have to be planned, and one's own behavior has to be reflected upon to a certain extent and adapted for the future. Especially in such an interconnected, complex world in which we live today, it is very difficult to stay in the present moment.

But here, too, practice makes perfect. Just try to stop yourself every now and then. Pause. Or consciously perceive what you're doing. Consciously list the individual sensory impressions. For example, I'm currently perceiving the clicking on the keyboard aurally and tactilely, I see the screen in front of me, I feel where my body is touching the chair I'm sitting on.

If you get into the habit of doing this, after a short time you will be able to stay in the here and now more and more often.

Another way to acquire this is meditation. Ultimately, this is the essence of meditation: to continually shift your focus away from your thoughts and onto the here and now.

So, away from obligations and errands. From worries about what's to come. From thoughts about what has been. Towards greater awareness, attention, and mindfulness for what is happening right now, in this moment.

Away from doing, toward being. Away from time, toward the now. 🧡

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