Be Here Now 2

In my last post, I mentioned my happy surprise at encountering two mentions of a philosophy of living, although not by the name I associate with its tenants; living in the present, or Be Here Now.

After posting it though, it occurred to me that living in the present certainly seems applicable to young people, as I was when I first learned of it, and retired people like myself now.

That it struck a chord in me when I read those two disparate articles when they reminded me of my youth, perhaps in itself confirms that living in such a way is far less practical when one is a young husband, or just starting a career, or a new parent, or even a new home owner. While stopping to smell the roses is still a legitimate endeavor, regardless of the real world pressures that we all face, it is also much easier to worry less about the future when one is young and immortal, or older, having arranged the dominoes in such a way that enjoyment of the present is achievable.

All that being said, and certainly there is fodder worthy of debate in the idea that it is far easier to live in the present when your biggest concerns are where the next party is, or how to spend your retirement next egg, it also struck me that far too many people are just not happy with their lives. 

When contemplating the statistics of unhappiness, that almost 100,000 Americans took their lives in the last two years, 2024-2025, that another 150,000 died from drug overdoses in those same two years, that roughly one third of marriages end in divorce (and that number has dropped after peaking in the 1980's), and that various surveys place the percentage of people who are unhappy with their job over 50%, with job dissatisfaction pushing 75% in some areas of employment, the simple fact is that a large percentage of people, on any given day, are not happy with a major component of their lives. And I didn't even research the percentage of people who are struggling with their health! 

In other words, how is it possible to Be Here Now, if here, sucks!

Further then, is it a fairy tale to suggest this philosophy?

I have no words of wisdom here, no pithy response to someone who might laugh at a philosophy extolling the enjoyment of one's life, one's experiences, when that person struggles to make ends meet, has chronic health issues, has recently lost their partner either through divorce or death, or simply hates their spouse, their job, their various life situations. 

I often say to people who struggle with the current state of affairs in our country, with the daily examples of government incompetence and downright theft of our mutual resources, the ongoing destruction of our planet and its environment, the exaltation of selfishness and cruelty on display almost daily from our current administration, that my current motto is

Global anxiety, personal happiness

the idea being that we stay awake and aware to what is happening, but not let it intrude, too much, on our daily happiness, our daily attempts to smell those roses, enjoy those sunsets, revel in those times with our friends and family. 

But even that is a bit of a cop out, as, all those circumstances that create anxiety in the first place, whether personal or global, will never be solved by simply acknowledging them, without action towards resolution. 

I guess the only real profundity is seeking balance, and while that might include difficult discussions about one's relationships, one's career choices, one's mode of recreation, even one's reflection on whether life is worth it or not, a life that ignores either the past, present or future, focusing on one realm over the others, is doomed to be unhappy.

Am I saying, Be Here Now, when you can? 

Is that good enough to shrink the number of Americans who kill themselves directly, or slowly, who remain in unhappy circumstances for fear that the grass on the other side will be even less green, who purposefully or unconsciously live in a fetal ball, far removed from reality for fear of being overwhelmed?

Perhaps "keep on truckin" is OK, as long as we recognize that we are truckin with a purpose of our own making, and not as twigs floating in a mighty river with no means of slowing, turning, or going back.