The Eternal Now

​“Nothing has ever happened in the past; it happened in the Now.
​Nothing will ever happen in the future; it will happen in the Now.” ~Ekhart Tolle

This week’s quote is a reminder that the past and the future are merely constructs of the mind, while the present moment is the only tangible reality there is. It’s strange to think that nothing has ever happened in the past. However, the present moment is really the only time that anything can happen. Events don’t happen in the past, they happen right now, after which they turn into memories. Similarly, the future exists only as intention and expectation until it is eventually experienced in present time.

As a kid, I remember thinking that time machines were a real thing, and that people could legitimately time travel. I thought you could visit any year in the past and it would be full of people going about their daily lives. I also thought that the future was a real place you could visit, full of advanced robots, ultra-modern skyscrapers and flying cars. Now, thanks to people like Ekhart Tolle, I realize that the past and future are just thoughts inside my head. I’ll never travel back to the past because it’s gone- it’s not there anymore. Likewise, I’ll never be able to travel to the future since it hasn’t even happened yet.

The truth is, the present moment is all there is and all there ever will be. It’s also the only place you can ever be. By internalizing this truth, you can change your entire concept of time. You might believe, for example, that time is linear, with past events leading directly to future events. But, as Alan Watts would say, “The past cannot push your future forward any more than a wake can push a boat.” As Ekhart Tolle puts it, "The past has no power over the present moment." This is because every moment is unique, existing independently from all other moments.

So, free yourself from past regrets and future worries. Don’t allow your past experiences to color your experience of the present. And don’t let your anxiety about tomorrow prevent you from enjoying today. Remember that time is not so much a linear progression as it is a constant unfolding of the present moment. Since both the past and future exist only as thought forms, find your joy in the eternal now.