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In the moment . . .

20/2/2014

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Picture
Buyi Zama plays Rafiki in The Lion King stage production

In the moment, this is the space you inhabit when you bypass enterprising moments to ascend spiritually, adopt the hedonistic or just take a deep breath and enjoy a break. Ostensibly … 

This has been my perception and, as I have matured these views have consolidated into belief. As I am a function of history, so have I valued its importance in helping me make moment to moment decisions on future history. It’s called experience, and is fundamental to how we behave. Back to that in a moment.

Today I had an emotional experience where I saw attempts to reconcile issues to improve a relationship stymied by one party who recalled at will any subjective item from a bottomless pit of perceived inequities from a distant past. I felt these didn’t seem to connect logically and concluded that this party did not seriously wish to build or to move forward with the relationship. An easy conclusion on my part, and another discussion destined to become negative history.

A car journey later in the day coincided with a radio interview with Buyi Zama who plays Rafiki in the theatre production of The Lion King. She sounded like an eternally optimistic African woman who could not believe she had an opportunity to explore her world while doing her job, performing a role in fact, that she loved. The interview was even starting to sound a little Disneyesque, appropriately given The Lion King’s associations. Buyi then opined that over her fourteen years in the role of an eternally wise and instructive character she had personally evolved from a more naive player in life to a savvy practitioner. The radio guy then drilled down: what were the experiences which contributed to this savvy. The uncomfortable pause served to fix the attention of all listeners in a manner unplanned by interviewer or interviewee. Buyi replied in a slow and deliberate manner which can only credit her person and the eternal wisdom of her culture, that one learns to live in the moment. 
 
The rest of my drive was an epiphany. Buyi is correct, living in the moment is emotionally therapeutic. Put the shit behind you, don’t wallow in it and definitely don’t expect others to do so. Logically employed, in the warm
light of day, history is a useful guide in determining logical next steps, but it becomes a malignant vortex towards nihilism when employed in the emotional dark of unpleasant or turbulent memories. 

Plan smart, use history. Live happily together, live in the moment. Dog is wise.
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