Catch the moment - Don't Be A Wage Slave

I am, but one of more than eight billion human beings, and yet each of us is unique. My thoughts are my own, private unto me. We live in the slipstream of the mind — from a magical beginning to an immortal end.

I am caught in an immense storm of consciousness. It rages onward, increasing in intensity, until — on rare occasions — I experience a moment of calm. This is the eye of the tempest. (1) There is an eerie stillness in this pause, and with it a deep trepidation: the fear that I might miss something, fail to reflect upon life, and soon be swept away once again as the typhoon of consciousness resumes its force.

How am I to “catch this moment” and truly give myself a moment of introspection and be at peace? This question defines my life, as it does everyone’s. Like others, I am busy. I take little time in my working day to ruminate, though I know I should.

Then, the other day, I was given a gift. I was rushing into a shop, slightly late, when a glint of sunshine overwhelmed me. It felt hot upon my cheek and struck with an intensity I have rarely experienced. In that instant, I was reminded to catch the moment. This oft-overused phrase is, in truth, entirely up to me. I am not unique in experiencing familiar human emotions — anxiety, fear, doubt — but I stand apart from others through my free will and how I choose to act in the world. I choose. I am not merely a victim of circumstance.

How, then, do so many suffer and live out tragic, unfulfilled lives? Joseph Campbell tells us that the hero’s journey (2) exists in all of us. It lies dormant until we act — unless we take those hesitant, halting steps toward somewhere we do not yet fully understand, we will never have the opportunity to be fully alive. Once begun, the journey carries irrevocable consequences for our lives.

This voyage is opposed by conformity and comfort. At first glance, life seems good enough. People say, “Why should I upset my fixed and serene life? I’m happy.” Yet what often follows is the angry rebellion of the soul against an inauthentic life. (3) The seven-year itch, the midlife crisis, the mental breakdown — these are merely different names for the same condition, when one’s being can no longer endure the falsehood.

“Is this all there is?” we ask. “I am financially secure, but I am not happy.” There is a profound sadness in this realization. One hopes to recognize this tragedy in others, not to discover it too late in oneself.

How do we avoid succumbing to mediocrity? We begin each day as if it were a special gift — an opportunity to begin anew. The past has been put to bed. The future is an illusion. Everything, in this moment, is up to me. And I begin, quite simply, by catching the moment. The Buddhist monk and peace activist, Thich Nhat Hanh, (4) leaves us with a thought: Life is available only in the present moment. If you abandon the present moment, you cannot live the moments of your daily life deeply.

A closing thought: It is easy to declare oneself a victim of circumstance: I have no choice. This is the life I was given. This is nonsense. We all possess free will, and with it the power to choose our path forward. Many say they do not know what this means. They do not know where to begin or where the door might be found. Here, I must ask a final question: Who is my teacher? The answer, of course, is myself. Given this truth, I need only open my notebook and begin to write. I can start small — with the day and the date — but, in time, I will write passages that speak to me. I must learn to be just a little brave, to realize my full potential.

To sum up: This week, we spoke about catching the moment to gain power in your life.

To be noted: From John F. Kennedy — Do not pray for easy lives. Pray to be stronger men.

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