Here's Brendon: he wants to say something to you...
The following is a
piece that I wrote back in Grade 12. I believe that it still holds up well when
placed in the context of my university life, or really just life in general. I
think we, as people, should learn to appreciate the moment more. Without
further ado, here is some thing to think about.
***
We as people are
often stuck in the past or the future. We are either regretting things we
should’ve done or planning
things we should do. Rarely ever is there a time that we are part of the
in-between, the present. You may disagree and think, “Well I’m here reading this essay, right now. Of course I’m in the present. What sort of idiot is this guy?” Now stop.
Think.
What did you think
of? Was it dinner plans? Or maybe it was about your day at work. I doubt you
thought, “I am reading this
essay.” Which is? The present. The moment that we rarely
choose to live.
You see the
scariest thing about living in the moment is that is all there is. There is no
tomorrow or yesterday to count on to distract you from the today. When we
choose to live in the moment that is when we can see the world for the
beautiful place it is. Likewise are the lives of teenagers. “I wish I was back in elementary school” and “I want to get
married and get out of school” are attitudes that
are the two poles of teenage life. Very rarely do teenagers actually decide to
live as teenagers, rather as children or adults. And once they are adults, they
want to be teenagers again, realising what they missed out on.
Over and over again
we decide to live in the moment, but generally fail. It is sad though, for the
moment is a wondrous gift. Think of that one person who causes the illusion
that nothing else exists. At that time you were living in the moment. While it
was happening it may have seemed like it could go forever. But now it is just a
memory, a blink of an eye. Now imagine a life of the moment. You would live
forever in it. Death would be just part of the moment, not something to fear.
The chasm between
past and future runs through all of our lives. Very few are brave to let go and
fall into the chasm. Those who do will find that it is not as scary as it once
seemed, but paradise. The moment is when we are one with somebody. The moment
is when we see beauty in the world. The moment is what we all fear but desire
at the same time. It is a sanctuary from the pain of the past and the
uncertainty of the future. Our perfect world.
***
Similar to the
moment, I believe that happiness is fully under our own control. Like choosing
to live in the moment, we choose to be happy or not. It is such a simple
concept, but so hard to do. Trust me, I struggle with it everyday. Find time in
your day to do something that makes you happy and brings peace to your mind.
For me it varies with the day. Here are just a few of the things that make me
happy: going for walks, spending time with good friends, writing, staring at
the sky, and drinking tea. It’s good to
make sure you try to do those things that make you happy at least once a day.
One of my friends started a 100 Days of Happiness photo challenge and I decided
to follow her lead. It’s not too
hard of a thing to do. Each day you take a picture of something that makes you
happy and post it on whatever social media or blog you decide to use. The
challenge is doing it each day for a hundred days. So far I’m ¾ of the way through it myself. So I challenge you,
reader, to go out and live in the moment and find you happiness. Let’s be honest, the world needs more of that.
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