As much as it is important to “be-in-the-present”, this should not deny the importance of appropriate goal setting. Present-centered experience is vital if one is to let go of the mechanical and compelling motion of the mind, which dictates inappropriate mental states and problematic behavior.
However, if one does not know where one is going with one’s life, one will still be confused. When one is lost in their thoughts and feelings, due to the over-processing of social experience, there is the tendency to be confused, conflicted and with the prediction to cause complications in one’s life. This occurs, because the internal saturation of internal material (narcissistic thoughts and feelings) prevents deeper aspects with the mind (eventuall seeping into social behavior).
When one achieves a connection to deeper internal conditions of the Self - Pure Awareness, Being and deeper Qualities - then one’s life becomes more clear. Part of this is the important training of present moment attention. We do this by contacting the four important sensory zones of sight, hearing, touch and balance of the body in space. This allows us to be more in the moment.
However, part of the inner work of self-discovery and self knowledge is to look at all aspects of human behavior such as the Will, or technically, Volition. We can be always “in the moment”, but we are always, “doing something”. Consider any moment in time. Even though we can transcend our thought, feeling, memory and motivation, temporarily, in order to be in the moment, we are always involved in some activity.
This cannot be transcended. For example, if I am walking down the street, I can be in the moment, by watching the movement of life in front of me: the trees, the cars, the people walking by and so on. We can do this better if can observe our mind, and let go of unneeded distractions. Thus, we are in the present. However, what we do not normally realize is that we are always “in the world”, and in order to do this with any degree of efficacy (functioning), we need to actuall complete our activities. So, even though I am in the moment through looking at things around me (in the example above), I as still -doing- a social activity: a walk (as an aspect of free time, or through transportation - to the store or to a neighbor’s house).
We cannot be in the present at the same time that our actions do not make sense. We are always in some activity, so if we do not look at that activity with some sense of importance, meaning or functioning, being in the present will not really help. We have to look at the action, itself, and not just the sensory aspects of its functioning. If we did not do this, our life would totally deconstruct.
Consider what would happen if we did not actually finish activities, or accomplish appropriate goal setting. If we did not attend to ordinary volition, we would have too many things to worry about, and thus, would intrude upon our “being in the present”. In order to be in the present, we have to take care of our volitionary living. We have to finish projects and make functional goals. If not, we would not know what to do. We can “be”, but if there is confusion about how and what action to take, our “being” will be confused and meaningful.
Therefore, we have to “be” and we have to “do”.
It is great to enjoy sensual living, and let go of all our worries of the mind and heart, but we need to act in the world. This outlines the great existential (and spiritual) skill of living in the world, but not of it. Being in the present is really a transcendent skill, because it allows us to just rest in our primal Awareness (or pure Beingness) and not concern our self with outcomes or positions. It can help us to transcend our narcissistic need to evaluate and monitor our lives, relative to others or our self.
However, we still have to be in the world. We have to act. All this present moment centering has to occur in the domain of an activity, otherwise, we would be randomly walking around in a strange condition, like forever being in a sensory awareness workshop. We cannot aimlessly walk around touching objects and looking around. This is why right volition is just as important as right attention. We need to be in the moment, but we need to look at our actions and make appropriate goals.
Even spiritual people make goals: it is an important part of our development. Even the act of meditating is a goal. We attempt to do some activity for a certain amount of time. We can only be truly present, if we actually find our actions meaningful. And to do this, requires that we not only choose appropriate actions, but to follow them through completion.
This is right volition: it goes hand in hand with being in the present (or right Attention). We set a goal and then we carry it through with attention (eliminating distraction, or being in the present).
There are two kinds of goal setting: short term and long term.
We understand this in our daily lives. We finish short term activities, such as paying bills, making telephone calls and cleaning our rooms. These are challenging enough. We often are conflicted over whether we should complete many functional duties, or whether we should be with friends, watch television or play games. This is a work in itself.
Secondly, we also need long term goals. Our lives not only move in the direction of the - day - but in the direction of our - life. We also need to look at our long term goals, because our being in the present also takes place in our life. The movement of our life includes these longer plans, which usually outline broader action plans. We cannot have a full life, if we do not take into account our long term investments. Where is our life going?
Of course, most of our problems of internal confusion stem from the fact that we are over concerned with our long term goals. This is why “being in the present” is such a healthy psychological remedy. However, if we over simplify our lives, we cannot construct a full life, which implies more complexity in social living.
Evolution involves the complexity of culture, just as it does the individual. The ideal is not just to do simple activities and not think about the future at all. This is the simplicity of the child. It is healthy to generate simplicity for order’s sake; however, to refrain from complexity does not involve one in the world, or at least our complex modern world. Self-knowledge involves the understanding of how to transcend the world and also how to be in the world. And the modern world, through evolution, is complex
Therefore, besides looking closely at our own minds, feelings, motivations and memories, which can allow us to transcend the unneeded and narcissistic elements of our psyche, we can realize more transcendent aspects of our nature. However, to truly be in the world, we need to make constructive goals and intentions, which not only strengthens the will (our Volition), but also assists us in bring enlightened qualities in the complex world.
This will also evolve the world in which we live.
William Edwards
Author, Trainer
The Skill of Wisdom
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