The Dichotomy Of Clarity And Living In The Present Moment

"Each of us live only now, this brief instant." - Marcus Aurelius

Is this why it is so hard for me to have clarity in the future? Thinking of it pulls me away from the task at hand — living in the present moment.

So how do I answer: "Where do you want to be in 5, 10, 20 years?" It’s so hard for me to answer because I do not know where I will be by then. Will I still be a son? Will I still be a husband? Will I still be a father? Thus, the answer for me is that I just want to be there. In 5 years, I want to be present, in 10 years — the same, and so on.

I know WHO I want to be but not WHERE I will be. I know that I want to be good — someone following the path of wisdom... but knowing where I will be? I still struggle with that concept.

I want to be in the present moment at all times, mastering my craft, acting wisely, with justice, temperance and courage — as should a stoic steward act.

But how about now? Now, all I should do is the same: Be good and believe that if I do what nature intended me to do — be a good person — then the dots of my life will connect and it’s true meaning revealed in hindsight.