The true definition of mental illness is when the majority of your time is spent in the past or future, but rarely living in the realism of NOW.
We cannot be sure of having something to live for unless we are willing to die for it.
The Four Noble Truths are pragmatic rather than dogmatic. They suggest a course of action to be followed rather than a set of dogmas to be believed. The four truths are prescriptions for behavior rather than descriptions of reality. The Buddha compares himself to a doctor who offers a course of therapeutic treatment to heal one’s ills. To embark on such a therapy is not designed to bring one any closer to ‘the Truth’ but to enable one’s life to flourish here and now, hopefully leaving a legacy that will continue to have beneficial repercussions after one’s death. (154)
Those who recommended mindfulness had it right. ‘Be in the moment’ made complete sense. No past, no future, no worries. Just the here and now, Lyall by her side.
The Moment is an inch long and a mile deep.
I think the essence of wisdom is emancipation, as far as possible, from the tyranny of the here and now.