Presence: What are we afraid of?

by Jayda Kahraman

I’m always planning, always looking towards the next goal, project, fruit.

When I’m practicing Yoga, I’m thinking of eating. When I’m eating, I’m thinking of showering. Showering, I think of work. As I work, I dream of relaxing. And relaxing, again, I think of work. Do you see where I’m going with this?

Why are we so afraid of the present moment? The only certainty in life, the only aspect of living that we can confirm is true, is real. So terrified of noticing our breath, the rise and fall of our chest. Feeling the rain touch our skin, or the Sun kiss our hands. What is it that we are so afraid of? Ourselves? Not the Self, the untouchable One, but what we, our ego, has created from that pure empty void. Often, we don’t like ourselves, but yet we’ve created ourselves. It’s like painting a work of art upon a canvas badly on purpose, and why would one do such a thing?

To get away from something, perhaps- our true nature, that is, love, deep peace and total wholeness. If we are sitting with ourselves, enveloped in the silence, and we do not like who or what we are, then of course, we’re going to try to escape, we’ll do anything to get away- think ahead, look back, anything but remain here.

Are we afraid of our power, what we might tap into if we stay here, in the Now, for too long? Deep down, do we know what we could do, be, achieve if we spent more time with the Self?

Stay there a little longer, with your Self. You might find, the silence is actually quite beautiful, for it reveals what the world cannot.