I am time competent. I'm concerned with living fully in the present, though I use the past and future to make my present more meaningful. I understand that my memory and anticipations are acts of the present. My focus, therefore, is on the present, with the past and future as background.
There are several different angles in which this post can be taken. Let me explain what it means to me.
I think that a person who lives in the future relies on expected events to motivate him, and gratifies his ego by picturing himself in terms of his goals. Almost as if he is inventing a meaning for life to justify his experience.
On the same coin, a person who lives in the past might rely on blaming others as a substitute for supporting themselves. I think our problems (if we have any) exist right now and right here, regardless of where they originated, and their solutions can be found in the here and now.
The more we contemplate, the less mindful we are of the present. Animals lacking higher cognition don't contemplate much. While they are less intelligent as a result, they are more mindful; which is why they are inclined to be more aware of natural catastrophes approaching than we are.
