Tomorrow Never Comes

The future exists only in our present concept of it.

Future events do not exist. Our plans, hopes, fears, dreams, expectations and worries exist today as possibilities and probabilities. But they are thoughts and ideas. Not events. The future is purely theoretical. All we really have is now, today, the vast, spacious, spontaneous present.

Therefore, worrying about and fearing future events is a nonconstructive use of energy.

In the present we can see paths, directions, trajectories. And we can mentally follow them into their possible futures to see where they might lead. If they seem headed where we do not want to go, today we have the power to implement course corrections.

We are taught that planning, devising strategies for accomplishing goals, saving money, insuring our lives, homes, cars, health, are responsible actions.

Most of us are not taught to trust life spontaneously to lead us to our growth and evolution and fulfillment. We are not taught to abandon all worries and know we are safe and protected always.

We are well aware, however, that our best laid plans can be undone by a single unexpected event that changes everything.

We fear these unexpected events. But we can instead accept them as life's course corrections that lead us to deeper levels of fulfillment than our own planning would have. We can see these events as spontaneous adventures that take us to places we've never been.

Warning: Our beliefs create our reality. So we cannot stop planning and saving and insuring and behaving responsibly until we first unquestionably know that life always will support us and carry us onward to expansive, new adventures and experiences. Doing so can cause great discomfort and fear.

We are buoyant upon the river of life and we cannot sink and be drowned. But until we are certain of this, it is much less fearful to act responsibly within our beliefs. That is until that unforeseen event visits us.

When that happens, whether we feel ready or not, our belief in our buoyancy is given a full test.

I have taken this leap into trusting the safety of this deep river of life. Prematurely. Before I knew I was fully safe. And yet I survived. However full of fear and uncertainty I found myself.

A second time I took the leap. This time I was a wee bit more assured of my basic safety. I survived with a wee bit less fear.

It was the third time that I came to know I was buoyant and would stay afloat no matter where the rapids tossed me.

We are safe now. And now is all there is.

Worrying about the future is worrying about something that does not exist.

Tomorrow isn't coming.

We have today to do whatever we want. To change whatever we want.

Today we can abandon our worries and expectations and accept the spontaneous curves in the road that come our way.

Tomorrow is imaginary.

Today is real.

Today we have the power to do most anything.

      -----Cosmic Grandpa

Ascend into Heaven

Just as Jesus did in the Bible, we each can ascend into heaven.

Not physically. Mentally. We can mentally rise above situations where we find ourselves getting upset, argumentative, defensive, angry.

Heaven is not a physical place in the sky but a state of mind. A state of peace.

Like the song says, “From a distance, there is harmony.”

We can train ourselves to elevate our perspective and distance ourselves from the immediate situation when we feel like arguing or fighting. We can remove ourselves to a higher frame of mind, to a neutral position where it's easier to see the other side of an issue.

When we feel that we are being attacked, we can move to a place where we need not fight back. We can rise above the urge to defend ourselves and go to a mental place of safety and security. We can go to a place of peace. We can ascend to heaven.

When we feel that we are being bullied or threatened or terrorized, we can remember that we are safe and strong. We can rise above the response of being fearful and protective.

Terrorism only works when both parties participate in the game. It takes both the terrorist and the victim to make it work. If the intended victim does not respond with fear and defensiveness, then the terrorist attack does not work.

We can imagine that the ones attempting to attack us are young children acting out, throwing tantrums. We see that they have lost control of their emotions and are behaving in immature ways because they have not yet learned how to channel their emotional surges in constructive directions. Our reactions to them could be to stop, say nothing, and consider what response might be most helpful. By attempting to use force against them, verbal or physical, we just feed energy to the conflict. Imagine that we are third parties, some distance away from the attack, with no personal interest in the situation. Take as much time as needed to ascend to heaven, then respond.

Seeking peace currently is not a popular position for many of our fellow citizens. They feel we must fight to get what we want. They feel that seeking peaceful solutions is a weak and passive option. However, it is peace that is constructive. And war that is destructive.

Peace is an absence of conflict, not an absence of activity. So heaven can be a highly productive state. Conflict impedes any movement forward because it diverts and wastes energy. Cooperation directs energy and movement toward solutions, toward creativity, toward discovery.

Like the nice lady sings:

From a distance
There is harmony
And it echoes through the land.
And it's the hope of hopes,
It's the love of loves,
It's the heart of every man.

Rise above.

Peace out.

     -----Cosmic Grandpa