Rabbi David Wolpe’s Musings column, which I usually thoroughly enjoy, missed the mark by a wide margin (“The Power Of Now,” Jan. 4).
Being in the “now” does not mean rejecting the past, or dismissing what is to come. It means becoming fully available to what is before you right here, at this moment. It means not projecting old memories, ideas and expectations upon the person or situation that appears, but being able to see and meet it freshly, fully and constructively right now.
Most of the time we meet one another distracted by thoughts, memories, plans, strategies. We do not truly hear what the other is saying to us, we look through eyes that are filtered by past experiences and our hearts close to the true need our brother or sister may have. When we come to the “now,” wrapped up in old memories, it is impossible to truly respond. The ability to respond, rather than react, always comes from learning to be fully in the “now.”
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