Why Does the Present Moment Matter?

Because the present is all that we really have.

We don’t really have the future – it hasn’t arrived. We don’t really have the past – it’s already gone. Everything we need is in the present. For instance, the food and water that we need, we can only ingest them in the present moment, when they are right in front of us. No matter how delicious or amazing tomorrow’s dinner may be, it is not available to us right now, and will only be available to us the moment we sit down to eat that dinner – when tomorrow’s dinner becomes this present moment.

If we are not truly here in the present, we can’t see, connect with, or access what we need. Over time, we feel like something is missing, and our wellbeing suffers. Not only that, our relationships suffer, because what we need in our relationships (communication, connection, companionship) is also only available in the present.

When we can live in the present, we can see what is available to us. We can connect with what we need. We can access what we need. Similarly, we can also see what others need and perhaps be of help to others.