To be present seems to be the hardest condition for humans, to really, truly be present in a situation actually takes effort, which seems quite absurd when you think about it. But, there's the rub, when you think about, you are no longer in the Present, but somewhere else, thinking about it.
The way we speak and communicate also has much to do with it. As a lover of languages and amateur linguist myself, I have been fascinated by the issues of Time in all of the languages that I have studied, and how that is so integral to our very thinking and communication. Some languages will avoid certain tenses like the plague, while others will be highly conditional or literally stuck in the Past, English being one of them. We are nearly conditioned to be conditional and to use the Past more than most modern languages that I have encountered.
I believe that the conundrum about the glass being half empty or half full, depending upon one's disposition towards pessimism or optimism is largely linked to how one view's the Past, Present, and Future.
If you believe that the glass is half empty, most likely you are stuck in the Past, dwelling on what has been lost, or what you could have had, or could have been, and not what you are.
If, however, you believe that the glass is half full, you may have placed too much stock in the Future, and may not even realize what you have right in front of you. Although superficially it seems that it is better to do so, to view the Potential of the situation is still vastly inferior to viewing the actuality of the situation, which is the Present.
We are prone to sleepwalk through life, always looking backwards to the Past or forwards to the Future, all the while, the Present slips away infinitesimally by us, passing through a gossamer filter from the Future to the Past.
Thinking about this, I am reminded of Gotye's recent "Eyes Wide Open" video and lyrics.
Give it a thunk.
The way we speak and communicate also has much to do with it. As a lover of languages and amateur linguist myself, I have been fascinated by the issues of Time in all of the languages that I have studied, and how that is so integral to our very thinking and communication. Some languages will avoid certain tenses like the plague, while others will be highly conditional or literally stuck in the Past, English being one of them. We are nearly conditioned to be conditional and to use the Past more than most modern languages that I have encountered.
I believe that the conundrum about the glass being half empty or half full, depending upon one's disposition towards pessimism or optimism is largely linked to how one view's the Past, Present, and Future.
If you believe that the glass is half empty, most likely you are stuck in the Past, dwelling on what has been lost, or what you could have had, or could have been, and not what you are.
If, however, you believe that the glass is half full, you may have placed too much stock in the Future, and may not even realize what you have right in front of you. Although superficially it seems that it is better to do so, to view the Potential of the situation is still vastly inferior to viewing the actuality of the situation, which is the Present.
We are prone to sleepwalk through life, always looking backwards to the Past or forwards to the Future, all the while, the Present slips away infinitesimally by us, passing through a gossamer filter from the Future to the Past.
Thinking about this, I am reminded of Gotye's recent "Eyes Wide Open" video and lyrics.
Give it a thunk.
