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Summary

The article emphasizes the importance of living in the present and using the awareness of mortality to make the most of life.

Abstract

The "Shockingly Simple Recipe for Living in the Here and Now" discusses the common tendency to postpone living fully, treating life as something to be unpacked later, much like a woman who saves a precious scarf for a special occasion that never comes. The author argues that this "immortality complex" leads to a focus on accumulating wealth, status, and security instead of embracing the present. The article suggests that the realization of life's fragility and the certainty of death can serve as a catalyst to prioritize current experiences, relationships, and personal fulfillment. It offers three methods to cultivate a present-focused life: leveraging adversities, using symbols as reminders of mortality, and visualizing life's brevity through tools like a lifetime calendar. The conclusion is a call to action to recognize the value of the present and to live fully before death.

Opinions

  • The author believes that people often defer true living for an imagined future, which is a disservice to the preciousness of life.
  • Death is presented not as a morbid topic to be feared but as a natural part of life that can enhance our appreciation for the present.
  • The article posits that confronting the reality of death can transform how we approach life, encouraging us to live each day as if it were our last.
  • Adversities, such as the loss of a loved one, are seen as opportunities to realign our priorities and live more intentionally.
  • Symbols like a skull or a meaningful object can serve as daily reminders to cherish and make the most of our time.
  • The use of a lifetime calendar is recommended as a stark visualization of how quickly life passes, prompting immediate action to embrace the present.
  • The author's stance is that by acknowledging our mortality, we can deactivate the immortality complex and make better use of our limited time.

The Shockingly Simple Recipe for Living in the Here and Now

Do you live in the here and now?

Photo by Zachary Keimig on Unsplash

A man opens his wife’s drawer and gets an extravagantly designed package from it.

Inside was a precious silk scarf. He looked at the silk and ran his fingers devoutly over the scarf.

“I bought it for my wife a few years ago, but she never wore it. She wanted to keep it for a special event. I think now is the time.”

He went to the bed and put the scarf to the other things that were to be placed at the wife’s funeral.

Learn To Live In The Now

I call it the immortality complex. Like the woman with the scarf, we save our life for later. We never unpack it properly and use it, this precious gift.

We take care of all these supposedly important things like… our work, the home, the car, and a secure pension.

We prepare a life for later. We focus on accumulating money, prestige, and securities and postpone real life and enjoyment as if we were immortal.

  • Yes, of course, I would like to take a trip around the world now, but that costs time and money. At the moment it just doesn’t work. But when I’m retired, then I’ll do it.
  • Of course, I would like to spend more time with my family now and watch the kids grow up. But someone has to bring the money home.
  • Of course, I would like to be happy and content here and now. But I have to finish my education / my studies / this exam / the preparation of this cup of tea first.

But what if this is your last day?

You cannot put off life forever. We always live only for the future and arrange our lives until it is too late. If we then at some point have the chance to really be confronted with the end of our life, we suddenly become aware of it.

But then it is too late for most of us.

Therefore, it is priceless happiness if you are aware of these things before. If you make yourself aware of them and wear the precious scarf during your lifetime. Even if it gets dirty and wears out!

For the ugly truth is: We are not immortal. And that is not bad news, but good news.

For as paradoxical as it sounds: Death helps you to make better use of your life in the here and now.

The Paradoxical Reason Why Death Helps You

Yes, it’s an unpleasant subject… Many people are afraid of death.

Most of us are reluctant to think about the fact that they will die at some point. Often this fact is downright suppressed.

This is bad because death is a very important part of life. It makes life possible, just as there would be no day without night.

Besides, there are many other reasons not to be afraid of death. But death has a very special quality that is relevant for us here:

The awareness of death helps us to live in the here and now.

How Death Helps You To Live In The Here And Now

Imagine if you had to die in a year. How would you spend this year?

  1. More of the same? Work more, buy things, accumulate property, take out insurance, or save for retirement?
  2. Or would you try to make the best out of every single one of these last 365 days? Spending them with friends and family, enjoying nature and life, and doing things you always wanted to do?

I bet you are more inclined towards the second option. Me too.

The thing about this is that the certainty of being able to live another year is actually quite generous. If we look at reality, it can happen to anyone of us tomorrow… Or today.

Who guarantees that you will live to be 50, 60, or even 90 years old? Yes, there are certain tendencies and statistics, but is that a guarantee that exactly YOU will live to that age?

What if you knew that you would die not in the next year but the next moment? What would you make of this last moment?

The best of course. You would enjoy the moment and be completely present, no matter where you are or what you are doing.

This is the power that gives us the consciousness of death. It flips a kind of switch in our head. It makes us aware of the urgency of life and deactivates the immortality complex.

3 Simple Ways To Live Immediately In The Here And Now

The first one sounds a bit macabre, but it is very effective and actually quite natural because it meets every one of us sooner or later in life:

1. Use Adversities

For example, when a loved one dies, it tears us out of our routine. We suddenly realize that we are not going to live forever and that life can be over in a flash.

As bad and sad as such adversity are, they offer us a great opportunity for our own life.

Often people who have suffered such a bad loss, live more in the moment and often realign their life circumstances. For example less work and more activities with friends and family.

And so even one of the worst imaginable events — the death of a loved one — can mean something good for our lives besides all the grief and suffering. When we recognize and accept it.

The same applies, by the way, to illnesses and other terrible blows of fate, whether they affect yourself or your relatives.

But of course, you do not have to wait until a dear relative dies or something else bad happens…

Just be aware of the fact that even supposedly bad events in your life always have the potential for good. When the next wave hits you, this awareness will help you.

2. Use Symbols

The classic. For example a skull on the desk. Already used for hundreds of years by artists and philosophers.

No, it does not have to be a real skull. A replica is sufficient. I also have such a replica on my desk or a small shelf above it.

Every time I look up, it reminds me that my life is precious and that I want to do something significant with it.

Some people also carry a certain coin that reminds them of it or some other object. Tattoos also work or a well-placed poster with a corresponding saying or picture.

So here you can be creative.

3. Use Your Scale

The last tip is as uncomfortable as the first one. But it is at least as effective:

Realize that your life is much shorter than you always think. We have just seen that it is a kind of immortality complex that makes us focus on anything but life in the here and now.

This method flips the switch fairly quickly because you see in black and white how short your own life actually is. The lifetime calendar. You can try it out on your own.

Conclusion

The awareness of death helps us to live in the here and now because for each of us, life can be over in the next moment. However, we usually live only for the future and prepare for life until it is too late.

Here the consciousness about your mortality helps you. When you know how precious your lifetime is, you don’t want to waste any more of it.

I do not know if there is life after death, but there is life before death — use it!

Use Your Potential.

Self
Self Improvement
Life
Life Lessons
Psychology
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