Image by productionpollockco from Pixabay
Such behavior! People don’t want to praise their contemporaries whose lives they actually share, but hold great expectations for the praise of future generations - people they haven’t met or ever will! This is akin to being upset that past generations didn’t praise you.”
Marcus Aurelius, Meditations, 6.18
In certain branches of paganism/polytheism, there exists a trope about doing good, important, honorable things in the now so that our memory and spirit, as it were, can live on. Live to be worthy of being an Ancestor, one remembered and venerated by future generations.
This may be an unpopular opinion, but I just have to say, when it comes to the subject of “why be the best person we can be,” who gives a crap about the opinions of future people? What a waste of our minds, bodies, and hearts… living for something that doesn’t actually exist. The future, because of its inherently speculative nature, exists only in our heads. What I’m saying is: our mindfulness isn’t most effective in the future.
If we can manage to get out of our own heads long enough to BE in the present moment, oftentimes we’ll notice how many opportunities to engage with virtue and kindness are all around us in each consecutive little blip of time. Each heartbeat contains infinite possibilities to do good in the now…
… past and future heartbeats don’t matter.
What are we doing with this one?
… already gone. THIS one?!
… gone.
Do good in the NOW.
Be the hero the moment needs.
(See y’all tomorrow)
This may be an unpopular opinion, but I just have to say, when it comes to the subject of “why be the best person we can be,” who gives a crap about the opinions of future people? What a waste of our minds, bodies, and hearts… living for something that doesn’t actually exist. The future, because of its inherently speculative nature, exists only in our heads. What I’m saying is: our mindfulness isn’t most effective in the future.
If we can manage to get out of our own heads long enough to BE in the present moment, oftentimes we’ll notice how many opportunities to engage with virtue and kindness are all around us in each consecutive little blip of time. Each heartbeat contains infinite possibilities to do good in the now…
… past and future heartbeats don’t matter.
What are we doing with this one?
… already gone. THIS one?!
… gone.
Do good in the NOW.
Be the hero the moment needs.
(See y’all tomorrow)
RSS Feed
