Love

Written by Grace Pow
 
 
Attracted by the title of Dr Spencer Johnson’s The Present in a bookstore many years ago, I bought the book immediately.
 
While reading, I realised the writer had used ‘The Present’ as a pun which could mean ‘now’ and ‘gift’. Dr Johnson was very intelligent because he could inspire his readers about a serious life philosophy, our attitudes towards life, through simple daily conversations between a wise elderly man and a youngster. We are told about the importance of engaging in ‘the present moment’.
 
‘Now’ is indeed a very precious present. Recently, I read the book again. It mentions
‘The present is not the past and it is not the future. The present is the present moment! The present is now!’ which means we should focus on the present moment instead of being distracted by other issues. No matter how difficult the situations are, we can still face our challenges if we focus on correct and good things.
 
Some people love to reminisce. They keep recalling what happened in the past and even try to compare them with what they experience and those who they meet at the moment. Of course, there is nothing wrong to reminisce. But we may only live in the past forever without paying attention to what we have and treasure those around us at present. Dr Johnson stated that we cannot change the past but we can learn from our experience.
 
Some golden agers worry about their future, e.g. health. The writer believed that we can accomplish our goals if we work on a feasible plan. For instance, if we are concerned about our wellbeing, we should set some goals on how to maintain good health and follow our plan step by step. If we can engage in what we want to achieve, we do not have to worry. 
 
Some parents are quite worried about their children and grandchildren who have emigrated abroad. They are anxious to know if the latter can adapt to local cultures and find jobs. Their income is also one of parents’ concerns. In fact, parents do not have to get themselves in a fret when their children have grown up. What they should do is to seize the day and cherish each moment of life.
 
We cannot change the past and predict the future. But we can certainly seize the day. Apparently, ‘the present’ is our best present. Have you given it to yourself yet?