The Present Is Everything

The present is all that exists. The past no longer is. Once an event is tied to the past, it ceases to exist in the present, yet we often hold onto it as if it were still real. But how much meaning does existence hold for us? In which moment do we truly live? How fully do we experience life? In which moment do we love? And how deeply do we love? In truth, only the present exists. The future does not exist either—not yet. "The future" will never arrive because it is always ahead. The present is all there is. So what are we lacking? Can we truly lack anything? We only feel discontent when we dwell on the past or anticipate the future. But in the present? If we are fully present, nothing is missing; everything we need is already here. Where is our inner journey leading us? Nowhere—we are already here. In other words, everything from the past no longer exists. If we cling to the past, we lose touch with the reality of the present. What is gone takes the place of what is real, as if it still lives within us. The same applies to the future. If we grasp at the future, we also lose the present. We replace what is present with what has yet to come, as if those things are already happening. In life, how often do we live in illusions? How often do we believe we are loving, when in reality, we are clinging to ideas of love? What is real? Only the present.

Extracted from “Innenreisen” by Bert Hellinger