Present is Future
The article is written by Mr. Shemimon Yousef, CEO, Handcraft Business Training (Training division of ATBC)
Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, but today is a gift. That’s why it is called the present. A very inspirational quote by Eleanor Roosevelt.
Like me, you might have read this quote and been inspired by it. This quote focuses on the importance of the present. Also, there are many quotes & writings that prioritize the importance of being in present than in the past and future. It isn’t just limited to some books, videos, or scriptures, nowadays even there are some techniques like meditation & breathing exercises, which help to focus our senses to feel the bliss of the present and enjoy its tranquility. Some of these techniques do help us to lead a well-balanced physical, mental & spiritual life. We have been learning these three tenses since our childhood, The Past, The Present, and The Future, and they taught us to be in the present. A few years ago, a thought made a big shift in my perspective toward these tenses. This paradigm shift happened during a journey. I was traveling back to Malappuram after a meeting in Cochin and as always, I had booked myself a window seat to enjoy the scenery that our small blue planet had to offer. I was listening to soothing symphonies, watching the lush green fields spread across, and immersed in my thoughts. I try to make the best of these moments where I have these wonderful conversations with myself about my life and world views. In between I was also keeping track of time, to know by when I will reach my destination.
In my mind was a documentary video on time, and out of nowhere I heard myself saying the phrase from quantum physics, ‘The arrow of time always moves forward.’ And it was then I was struck with a chord of deep thought about these tenses which I had learned in childhood and have been living in my life till this moment. As I said earlier, I was also keeping track of the time to know by when I will reach my destination. My track on time made me think deeply about the tenses. Even though the act of looking at a wristwatch to check time was in present, actually I was moving towards the future. The arrow of time always moves forward and so was me. I suddenly realized that the present is nothing but a move towards the future. This means the present is nothing but our future in advance. With every moment passing by in my present I was actually going towards my future and these were the moments that initiated the shifting of my paradigm about the entire logic of time and tenses to whole new learning.
Throughout my childhood, I’ve been taught these three tenses – Past, Present, and Future – and as I grew into adulthood, I learned the importance of being in the present. But what I felt during my journey had me think deeply about these tenses. For a while, I wondered whether the past and future made any sense. These three tenses may exist for grammar and vocabulary but in life, there is only one tense, the Present. There is a reflection of the past & a glimpse of the future in this tense. The realization that it is also our future in disguise was thought-provoking. The relevance of time becomes more meaningful to me.
Among many who desire to achieve their dreams and focus on the future, I am one of them. The newly developed perspective of time made me realize that whatever we do today becomes our tomorrow. What I am today is the result of what I did in my past, and what I will become in the future is what I do today. This makes our presence all the more significant. Things that we want to accomplish for tomorrow have their roots in today. We are living in our future right now and it isn’t something that will happen. Right now, in the future. At every moment we have the choice between reaction and creation. Seeing our future in the present, we must put more energy into creating than reacting.
Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, but today is a gift and the gift is our tomorrow!
