Frenzy Firelight

I just finished The Power of Now: A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment by Eckhart Tolle. And it may just be the book that changes the course of my entire life.

I’ve been a troubled girl since I was a little kid. I won’t go into details. All I can say is that I had a rough childhood and rougher teenage years.

It’s cool, though. I don’t want to blame anyone from the past. I have my path to a better future. Nevertheless, I often feel lonely and empty, with no idea what to do with my life. All those, according to Tolle, are caused by my mind.

I need my mind to be functional in daily life — to deal with anything I encounter, decide between options I have, and handle both good and bad situations. Too often, however, my mind works way more than it should. It keeps thinking about the past (regrets, hatred, losses) and the future (doubts, fears). All in vain.

My mind puts so much useless stress upon me, and I usually do nothing about it because it feeds my false ego. Without drama, my false ego dies. It’s the last thing it ever wants, so my mind provides useless thoughts. Call it ‘chatterbox in the head’ if you like. More often than not, it gives me more headaches than effective solutions to my problems.

Using the power of Now, I’m consciously staying present instead of regretting the past or worrying about the future. The ‘present’ means right here at this moment. A second ago was already gone. Five seconds later has yet to arrive.

Practicing it doesn’t eliminate my problems automatically. But at the very least, I have an inner peace. It helps me think effectively. It leads me to finding the right solutions to my problems.

Tolle explains that dealing with the annoying, destructive mind is the only way to stay present. Whenever a negative thought occurs, I need to watch it. I watch it in complete silence without trying to block or ignore it, like a mom watching her son playing with dirt, observing without judging, and then accepting that the destructive mind tries to feed my false ego’s need for drama.

I have been practicing staying in the present for several days. It doesn’t always work, but on rare occasions, when I successfully accept my destructive mind, I’m at peace.

The Power of Now: A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment quotes some pearls of wisdom from religions, mostly Buddha. However, it is not to be confused with Buddhism teaching. They are different.

Regardless, the book is good, and I can’t recommend it enough.