Living In the Present

The world may be known without leaving the house ... Loa Tzu Verse 47: Toa Te ChingVerse 47: Toa Te Ching
The world may be knownWithout leaving the house; The Way may be seen Apart from the windows.The further you go,The less you will know.
Accordingly, the Wise ManKnows without going, Sees without seeing,

Today, I did stayed home and get some rest. Resting is a wonderful thing. When the mind is restless it wonders about things that it should not. It plans too far in advance and makes up a reality that doesn’t exist. In the past I have meditated and without rest meditation is almost impossible. I also find that if I am constantly on the go I can’t stay focused because I am not as connected as I should be.

Loa Tzu was simply stating in the 47th verse of the Toa Te Ching that everything we need to know is within ourselves. I believe that when we take time to reflect on life and turn down all the things that are calling for our attention we can actually see the path in which need to follow. So, with proper rest and time to reflect on the here and now we can actually know ourselves, and the world in which we live without ever forcing ourselves to be in it. The bible says,” To be in the world and not of the world,” and I believe that is actually the point of verse 47.

When we are striving or looking for things to satisfy us we are looking outside of ourselves for the answer and the answer is so much closer to home, home being your temple. In meditation there is silence and in the silence you must learn to control the chatter, but once you have done that you are open to hear what God is guiding you to do. You can see without seeing as Loa Tzu suggest.

As I think about all the recent deaths and how some of them have been very tragic I think about life in general. In life we all come to this place that we call Earth and we are here for a brief moment, but in that brief moment we have the opportunity to have a great impact. So, in my rest I thought about my impact and the legacy that I would like to be able to leave when it is time for me to depart. I want to be known for my honesty, peacefulness, love, affection, ability to write, and to speech truth. I want to change the world without becoming part of the world. I want to know that my greatest virtue is my ability to capture the attention of men and speak into their hearts while guiding them to their true center.

So, today as I reflect on where I am, I am thankful for the things I have seen today without stepping outside my home. I haven’t even turned on the television, and I feel like I am so much more connected to the world at this moment then I would be watching a news broadcast on the current evens of the world.

Today, I am simply living. I am in the presence of life, and I am thankful for having another day to change what I may have failed to change yesterday. As I look at my life I am happy to be happy and I have no need to force my thoughts, actions, and/or options because I am present. In the present, doing anything with force defeats the purpose of being present. It takes away from the current moment because when you live to force anything you are living in the next moment where you are projecting what you want your outcome to be. My new motto is,”Do things differently,” and with that I am learning to be present and allow things to happen as they should happen. I am really learning to write without trying to control the lines, but rather allow the line to turn out just how they desire to be.