Living in the Now

It's quite coincidental that my realization that I live in my head came with a very deep understanding of the dangers of not living in the now.

I was, as usual, lost in my thoughts about something a few nights ago. I started thinking about someone who I think is in a bit of despair. I realized how unstructured thinking can lead to mental health issues. It hit me then that the solution IS to live in the present.

It was a pretty deep realization. I couldn't shake it off. I made a pledge with myself, right there and then, to try to stay in the moment as much as I can.

I have been aware of this idea for a really long time. But I think this is what helped it sink in:

Contrary to what generally assumed, the physical world does not exist "in time". At the basic microscopic level, the world is better described in terms of a a-temporal theory, where physical laws do not express time evolution of physical variables, but just relations between variables. Time emerges only thermodynamically when describing macroscopic variables. Therefore time is only a side effect of our ignorance of the microscopic state of the world. "Time is a side effect of ignorance."

-Carlo Rovelli, Theoretical Physicist; University of the Mediterraneum.

I needed a very firm, physical world explanation of this idea. The spiritual idea that has been around me for a really long time, was just not making any sense.

I am really excited about this new perception :).