EXPLANATION

Your ego-based mind wants to be in control. It masquerades as you, and you unwittingly go along with this.

The only time that you have any real power or control is in the present moment, the NOW. The mind wants you to spend as little time in the NOW as possible, so one of it's very effective tactics is to keep you focused on the past and the future -- the realm of the ego-based mind.

Perhaps you can relate to this story:

A young woman ends a three-year love/hate relationship with a man and begins to search for a new boyfriend.

She meets a kind and handsome young man, and the get along and begin having a pleasurable relationship.

After a time, the young woman finds herself drifting into uncontrollable thoughts -- obsessive thoughts. She thinks about her ex-boyfriend, and how handsome and fun he was (forgetting about what a jerk he was). She wonders "What if I had done this or that differently, would we still be together?". She also thinks a lot about the fun they used to have together, the trips, the sex, and the excitement (forgetting about how many bad times there were).

Her new boyfriend notices that she's often distant, vacant, and her mind is "someplace else". He keeps asking her "what's wrong", and the young lady, unaware that she's been enslaved by her ego-based mind responds with "nothing". Because she's unaware, his inquires seem annoying. Her lack of response drives him further away.

To the young lady the new boyfriend starts to seem bothersome because he seems needy and sensitive. To the young man the young lady is distant and not as much fun as she used to be.

The two drift apart or break-up with negative feelings and confusion.

When the young woman was "living in the past" she was taken over by her ego-based mind, lost control herself, was torn away from the present moment, and stopped really living.

Dwelling on a missed opportunity from the past

The past is gone forever. You did the best you could. There is nothing you can do about the past NOW. Every moment you spend thinking about missed opportunities is a waste of your time, makes you seem distant, and keeps you away from the NOW which is the only place you can really be happy.

Nothing that happens NOW is exactly the same as what has already happened in the past. Only by living in the NOW can you open up to experiencing things that are going to be new, exciting, and perhaps even better than the past.

Every minute you spend thinking about past events, even positive ones, is a waste of your time and keeps you away from the NOW which is the only place you can really be happy.

Of the three forms of "past thinking" this is the least harmful, but it is the most wasteful of your time. It is also very addictive.

When you find yourself doing this think of an old man sitting alone in a dusty cold house. He sits in a ratty old chair, with a remote control in his hand. Before him is a television with a video recorder. Over and over he watches video of his wedding, his children, his vacations and other pleasurable highlights of his life. The buttons on the remote are worn down from his repeated pressing of the REWIND and PLAY buttons. What a sad existence you say? This old man is YOU when you waste your time in this type of past thinking.

All, I repeat ALL, thoughts about the future and past are a complete and utter waste of your time and energy, and they can cause quite a bit of misery. The mind is very clever and seductive, but it is also very limited. See this list and you'll begin to see the limited and destructive effects excessive past and future can have on you Now.