First, the latest issue of Rending the Veil is available. I've read a few of the articles and it looks good. I've been doing a lot of thinking about some of my recent work with time, particularly the concept of being present in the future without focusing on the future. In some cultures that standard of time is actually part of their perception of it, but in Western culture, there is an emphasis on the future and on sharply regulating time. Edward Hall provides excellent examples of this in the Dance of Life, and I've found his observations to be sound.
I'll admit I've struggled with just being present in the moment. It's such a foreign experience of time that it feels counter-intuitive, yet I also know it offers something valuable to me, because it allows me to work with a different understanding of time. And the moments when I can get into that place of just being present has its own value because I'm much more aware of the possibilities in those moments than I previously was. I've realized that the tendency to focus on the future, to fixate on it, can become an obsession, and is one that many people indulge in without fully appreciating that reality.
I do think there's value in being able to focus on the future and on desired goals you want to achieve, but I've also come to realize there's value in being in the moment and being open to what is available to you. Too often that can be ignored because of a focus on the future. My challenge has been to be more aware of the moment I'm in. Sometimes it's worked and other times, not so much, but undoing the cultural perspective on time that's been held for over 30 years of my life is pretty challenging, so I'm not expecting over night success. Just trying it is more important than anything else, because I'm being open to the experience.