(originally posted June 16, 2024)
“Yesterday’s the past, tomorrow’s the future, but today is a GIFT. That’s why it’s called the present.”
Bil Keane, The Family Circus (possibly)
Presents = Presence.
To be “present” is to “present” ourselves in every moment of the Present. When we offer presents to one another on each other’s birthday, Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, the Festival of Lights, or whenever the occasion might be, we are offering a piece of ourselves. We are “presenting” a gift. In the same way, in any given moment of the Present, we are, also, offering ourselves.
I love the etymology of words and understanding the deeper significance of those meanings and how they translate into our understanding of the world. It’s illuminating to me to understand the shared origins of homonyms, or the deeper significance of words we might otherwise take for granted, but, maybe, not so much if we understand their antecedent roots. For example, in Christianity, “forgiveness” is often interpreted to mean the forgiving of a “debt,” as in the “Our Father” (here and here):
“…forgive us our debts/trespasses as we forgive our debtors/those who trespass against us.”
However, in Aramaic, the language Christ actually spoke, the word for “forgiveness” means to “untie a knot,” which is a very real, material and tangible, expression of what “forgiveness” truly is, specifically, the untying of a knot within ourselves of our inner experience of turmoil in dealing with another person whom we have felt has wronged us in some way. It is interesting to me that this word has this understanding in its most basic foundation from the individual, historically, most well known for using it. Illuminating, indeed. For me, at least.
But, for now, I will return to the Present, where I hope to continue to present myself. For you as well as me. Thank you.
Observations from the Brink 