I hate cliches advocating that the best time is the here and now. One of the popular cliches, supported by many self-help gurus, is “live in the moment.”

Yeah, I’m no Dr. Phil but I say, let’s NOT live in the moment — for any reason.

To preach living in the moment is supposedly to preach an appreciation for the present. Well, to this I say presents aren’t always so sweet. Come on, really, who wants to look under the Christmas tree expecting the winter’s latest fashions or hottest trends to simply find another one of Granny’s signature polyester picks?

All I’m saying is, if we live in the present with no thought of future possibilities, then we have nothing. No hope, no dreams, no aspirations, no better days. All we’ll have of life is the thought of how crummy Christmas was.

Yet, while living for tomorrow, there’s hope that next year will be the year Grandpa picks the presents, since he always gives money anyway!

Another interpretation of living in the moment that has much appeal is living each day as if it were your last. Well, other than for its religious context and usefulness for teaching morality and decency, I completely disagree with this. 

Twelve years ago my older brother, Jason Reynolds, committed suicide. Unfortunately he lived in the moment. Though I believe with all my heart he saw it after death, Jason failed to see the worldly light at the end of the tunnel.

He didn’t have anyone to tell him that though the night is long, the day is sure to follow. And though life certainly is tough living sometimes, I try to weather the storm, always hopeful that there will be brighter days. I have no choice.

Besides, if my mother, father, sister, brother or I had the capacity to only live in the moment July 7, 1994, we would not have survived our loss.

When tragedy strikes, sorrow and grief consume our lives. We become emotional prisoners to our recent pain, living in the moment. Just of late, my best friend had to convince me to stop “living in the moment” because I was missing out on life for dwelling in my despair.

I understand you may think life is not always bad and it’s good to live in the moment sometimes. For instance, why not dwell in the happiness of a good day or the aroma of your favorite flowers?

Well, it’s simple. Whether we’re dwelling in the good or the bad, life will pass you by. And quite frankly, you might miss out on something better.

So, I’m thankful I had someone to shake some sense in me. It’s like parts of a quote by journalist Jim Bishop: “It is difficult to live in the present … and impossible to live in the past.” But it is never ridiculous to keep the future in mind.

I conclude by addressing those of you who still choose to only live for right now. To you I propose this medium: learn from yesterday, live for today and hope for tomorrow.

 

April Reynolds is a senior journalism major from Jackson, Miss., and serves as a news editor for the Tech Talk. E-mail comments to akr011@latech.edu.