During my last project in which I led a group of twenty artists in an artistic meditation retreat in Thailand, in order for them to get the most out of the experience, I tried from the first moment to make them understand that ‘being here is not the same as being here. be present’. The Sun, a plant or even the sofa in your house ‘are there’, but they do not have the ability to use their consciousness to appreciate that moment; we do. We can continue going through life without life passing through us or begin to squeeze out every second appreciating the true value of time.
The true value of time
If at a specific moment we are linked to technology or even to other people’s thoughts, we will not be fully enjoying that moment, but only a percentage (Maybe 30-40%?). It may seem exaggerated, but since it is not an isolated situation, but rather a behavior that has become a way of life, that is the real percentage of present time that we are taking advantage of.
La añoranza de la juventud, nostalgia de un lugar o anhelo de la compañía de una persona, sentimientos que nos mantienen viviendo en el pasado, reviviendo situaciones que ya han tenido lugar. Puede sonar frío, pero desde el punto de vista práctico, pararse a echar de menos situaciones, lugares o personas, es un comportamiento nada constructivo que hace menos valioso nuestro tiempo presente, pues en lugar de estar viviendo este determinado instante, aprendiendo de las circunstancias que nos rodean y trabajando por construir situaciones o amistades bellas, estamos atascados en un momento pasado del que ya tuvimos ocasión de aprender en su día y del que indudablemente no vamos a conseguir cambiar nada.
Meditation trains consciousness
If we spend our days dreaming about something that is not within our reach, everything we do do will automatically seem to have less value. This situation leaves us with only two possible options: measure our dreams and aspirations according to our possibilities in order to collect results that satisfy and enrich us or simply pursue our dreams with everything, whatever they may be, but always being fully aware that not only It is possible that they will not be fulfilled, but it is probable. Therefore, we must be open to observing and learning along the way, so that not only do we evolve but our dreams do as well. The difference between goals and dreams is that the former are enjoyed only when achieving them, however dreams are something that are enjoyed while they happen, they are motivating and inspiring in themselves, making time more valuable during the process of living.
Not spending time with the people we love or losing friends or loved ones because of pride also influences the value of our time, because when we lose important people we are forced to look for new friendships and relationships, something that not only wears out but also wears us out. It makes you ‘waste’ time over and over again on the same task.
If we live with fear or shyness that prevents us from performing certain actions or saying certain things, again we are not living completely as we should, but rather we are letting situations pass only and exclusively by our choice. Feelings such as envy or resentment push us to develop emotions linked to hatred, as well as add burdens that prevent our progress naturally. All these factors act like ropes that, despite having elasticity, always keep us anchored to points in the past.
I often rethink my life, sometimes I fail and sometimes I shed a tear, but I never look back nor do I have the option to regret what I didn’t try, what I didn’t do, what I didn’t say. Maybe it will be the case that in the future my life will stagnate, but by then it will be too late to have wasted it, because I have learned the true value of time and that is why I enjoy every second of every day with all my passion and energy. as if it were the last at the same time with the illusion of as if it were the first.
There is a saying that dictates “life is not measured by the times you breathe, but by the moments that leave you breathless”, words with such poetic beauty that it is difficult to refute. However, I differ completely; I believe that life is measured in the moments we learn, the times we manage to raise a smile in a fellow human being and, above all, in the days we manage to be happy, savoring every second and being entirely ourselves.
Social networks 'steal' our time
Being here is not the same as being present.