Mindfulness Revisited
Being in the present moment is the near universal definition or understanding of mindfulness. Not bringing the past or the future into the present moment is a key feature of the practice.
I’m not sure what to do with this formulation. I bring the future into the present moment all the time. I plan things. I look forward to things. I also find my past and our collective past to be a great source of grist for the mill. I get a lot out of bringing it into the present moment and thinking about it.
I know I’ve set up a bit of a straw man here because in fact most mindfulness advocates would say it’s bringing the past or the future into the present moment when they are not wanted or needed that is the problem. But I wonder if there isn’t something limited or misleading about the whole Present Moment thing.
What I consider mindfulness in myself isn’t so much about the present moment as it is about not being on Autopilot, which I am most of the time. Maybe it comes to the same thing, but for me the idea of being micro aware of what I’m doing and staying off Autopilot helps me sustain it.
I’m not sure what being the present moment actually means and when it is OK to bring other elements in. But I do know what it means to be critically aware of my actions at the micro level.
