Present

Each morning we wake up to a future that is about to happen but yet is out of reach by default, unpredictable by nature. Are we ever ready for what’s ahead? We try to keep up but are clumsy at best in being present with all that comes our way. A while back we buried a friend. He had been sick, but his death came sooner than expected. We were barely able to keep up with the harsh pace of his illness and still struggle with his passing. Around the same time, I found a little kitten on the street,…

Mindfulness (n.): Awareness that arises through paying attention, on purpose, in the present moment, non-judgmentally. This is the definition according to Jon Kabat-Zinn. This definition, although quite descriptive as to what mindfulness embodies, may not mean a whole lot to someone who has never experienced mindfulness. This is because understanding what mindfulness truly is and then living life in a mindful manner is quite challenging and takes plenty of practice. Throughout my relatively…

1. “ Beacause you simply cannot draw these things out forever. At some point, you just pull off the Band-Aid and it hurts, but then it’s over and you’re relieved.” – Page 7. This statement expressed by Miles Halter explains that when one faces problems or challenges, the most efficient way to approach them is to tackle them head-on rather than trying to ignore them. It also explains that there comes a time in our lives when certain things become inevitable whether it be good-byes like in Miles’…

is a lot to gain from it. From my experience Buddhism has always emphasized the importance of living and being in the present moment, which has been influential on me, especially since I am prone to analyzing the past and worrying about the future. This philosophy of being in the present, as well as the meditation practices that go with it, have helped me to live more in the present. Furthermore, as I mentioned earlier, the Buddhist philosophy of compassion, and loving peace instead of hating…

philosophical idea proposed by George Santayana, the study of our nation’s history and foreign policy efforts should be used as a lesson to guide any future behavior on how the United States should deal with the threat ISIS presents because of the clear thread that exists between the past and present. The same gap of communication and lack of understanding of different cultures, values and histories that brought destruction and instability during the Philippines-American War and Vietnam War,…

The world famous philosopher Buddha once said, “Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present moment.” In this quote, he wisely teaches us that the present moment is a gift. The past is something that cannot be changed, and the future cannot be determined; the only time that can be controlled is the present. However, only few actually follow this mantra. In Great Expectations, by Charles Dickens, Pip and Miss Havisham are two perfect examples of people…

thinks they are living. The Storyteller introduces the idea that some people are living a lifestyle entirely different from their past and society thinks nothing of it. As well as The Storyteller, The Story of an Hour suggests that other people present themselves differently in public than during the time they spend secluded from the public,but the communities do not realize that. The Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber proposes that society never truly knows what actions a person will or will…

butterfly effect takes a hold of everything; something as small and simple as turning this assignment in on time, can and will eventually affect the outcome of my career. The present is the heart of my success, but I never lose sight of my goals. This is why mindfulness holds such enormous weight in my life; it’s all about the present. The research I’ll do for my group project will further inform me about what I have to look forward to career- and education-wise. Meeting with my advisor and…

hand-sewn my the sweetest woman in your life, your grandmother. Back when I was 3 years old, my grandmother, Eleanor, sewed me a snowman and gave it to me as a Christmas present. When I opened the present, I immediately saw the pure white fabric, a bright orange nose, and two black buttons as eyes. Quickly after unwrapping the present, the snowman and I, whom I named Eugene, quickly became best friends. When I first received him, Eugene was a pure white snowman with a carrot nose, and two black…

“Money doesn’t buy happiness.” That’s what the people prior to us tell us, the next generation, but they tell us as they are sitting in their paid off Ford F150 with their fancy new iPhone watch and college tuition loans paid off. Because they are done, they have no daily stresses because they have “made it” in the real world. The rest of us, not the 99% not swimming in pools of diamonds, but the rest of us middle classers, 50% of Americans (Thuy Vo 2012), bring home less than 1,000 dollars a…