The Joy of the Present Moment Through Mindfulness (Article + Video)

Humans are biological creatures. We have evolved over the course of the Earth’s history, starting as simple cells, and winding up as bipedal beings with brains. This means that the chisel that carved our species made us survivable. Our brains are formed for the purposes of keeping our bodies alive.

A side effect of this is that the experiential part of reality is a byproduct of universal processes. There are many hiccups that each of us faces as a result of taking ourselves out of a survival-oriented world. Civilization has changed the type of environment we live in, but we remain mentally geared to prepare for possible scenarios our genetic ancestors would have faced for the eons leading up to the dawn of humanity.

As such, we are often removed from the present moment while survival programming runs in the back of our minds (or sometimes in the front of our minds). This results in a net loss of our general satisfaction with life. We may often feel that the party we were so hyped about turned out to be fairly mediocre. But, the only reason we feel disappointed is our own means of anticipating the future; a trait which has long allowed us to survive threatening situations.

This grows into a greater problem, as we are rapidly approaching a point where being grounded in the moment will allow greater survivability than pre-planning. Technology has catalyzed an exponential shift in the world around us. There will come a time in the near future where the change is happening so rapidly that any long-term plans are certain to fail. Reacting gracefully will be the only way forward.

Our inherent programming keeps us from embracing the moment. The solution is to flex your agency and be mindful. As you consciously focus your attention to the present moment, you train yourself to unconsciously focus there. Our attention is a like a muscle, and needs to be trained. By willingly seeking improvement, you take the first step on a journey to live the best life-path you can possibly walk.

Every moment is a choice. Every moment is an experience. Make yours the best you can make them.