By Armari Waterworth
Centuries ago there was a Roman stoic philosopher named Seneca. He lived around 2,000 years ago, and he is one of the most well-known ancient Stoic philosophers.
Here’s a quote from discussing staying in the present moment. “Wild animals run from the dangers they actually see, and once they have escaped them worry no more. We however are tourmed alike by what is past and what is to come”
Staying in the present and mindfulness is what I have been thinking about a lot lately, and this is what we will discuss in today’s article.
What Is Mindfulness In The Present Moment?
Over the past couple of years, I’ve been observing myself and how others behave at social events or when we are collectively taking part in activities and what I’ve found is quite interesting.
To go into a bit of detail I’ve been privileged to have wonderful experiences with friends and family in my life and what I’ve found is the people around me and myself included have varying degrees of mindfulness and enjoying the present moment. What I’ve been guilty of and what I’ve seen from others particularly in this story I am about to tell you is projecting the good time you are having on Social Media rather than enjoying the moment itself.
What Does Mindfulness Look Like?
I often find myself at dinners with friends, whether it be for a birthday or a leaving party and I see quite few people are on their phone for the entire time. I rarely think much of it except that it’s interesting how often people would rather scroll on Instagram and look at other people’s lives rather than enjoying the good time they could and should be having. Of course, nothing I am saying is crazy, it’s all normal behaviour.
I work in the Digital space so I understand the draw and appeal of Social Media (no hate here). We typically take a few photos at events to remember it by, which is completely fine. Take photos to enjoy and savour the moment, and everyone is smiling in the photos and showing they are having a good time. However, after all the photo-taking, what I’ve noticed is people go right back to scrolling on their phones, hardly interacting unless spoken to and not indulging in the beauty of their surroundings. I often see people go from smiling, posing in photos like they are having the time of their lives, to sitting back on their phones looking miserable.
Why Should I be More Mindful Of The Present?
Being at specific events or taking part in specific activities typically only happens for a limited period. The whole reason people go to events and do activities is to fully experience them and take them in for what they are. To be present at these unique places. That’s why we chase those things. Try not to chase the validation you get from showing other people you have these experiences because if you do this, you’ve missed the point entirely.
Be present and take in the few moments we have here on Earth. You can be on your phone at any place; put the phone down and take in the present moment. I implore you to do this; you won’t miss out on anything. Don’t let the present moment slip away for chasing a future reward in likes and validation. It is wise to live a life that is authentic to who you are and how you feel.
I can almost assure you will be filled with regret when you become old that you never enjoyed the present moment. However, what you have is the moment right here, right now in front of you. Don’t waste it and don’t take it for granted. Because as Seneca says: “true happiness is to enjoy the present without anxious dependence upon the future.” So in this case, enjoy the present without anxious thoughts on “I need to get a good post for Instagram” or “how many likes I am going to get” because I can promise you will be infinitely more grateful if you just take the moments in and capture them for yourself and not the validation of others.