“Be not content with future happiness. It has no meaning and is not your just reward. ”   …ACIM

The dictionary defines “someday” as “at an indefinite future time.” And this is when most people plan on being happy, but the thing is, they’re not sure they’ll be happy then. I’ve heard it said, that “your whole life can change in an instant.” When people say this they’re usually thinking of it changing for the worse. This can be perceived as true, because they usually add something like, “tell your loved ones that you love them today, for tomorrow is not promised to anyone.” It seems that even though people understand that they may not live long enough to see that time called, “someday,” it remains the place where they invest most of their happiness.  

“When you say ‘SOMEDAY I’ll Live my dreams,’ that is the eighth day of the week; it never comes.” …Vikrmn 

It’s a futile investment in nothing; for as the Indian author, Vikrmn, pointed out in the above quote, and which should be completely obvious, it never comes. That’s why Jesus tells us in my opening quote that it has no meaning. It never comes because it’s an illusion; it doesn’t exist.   

The organization know as Alcoholics Anonymous have adopted a slogan which is – once they understand it – immensely helpful to those who want to quit drinking alcohol. It goes like this: If you don’t take that first drink today, you’ll never take it.

I used to hear people say it when I was younger, but couldn’t see the sense in it. I used to think thoughts like, but what will stop them from taking it tomorrow, or someday in the future? I just couldn’t make sense of it, and so it bothered me to the point that I kept thinking about it. And then one day as I was thinking about it the light flashed bright and clear. OF COURSE, I shouted right out loud. If that first drink isn’t taken TODAY, it will never be taken, because there’s no other day than today. it’s always today!

It’s a truly difficult idea to accept, but the only time that exists is this present moment – right now; that’s it. As each new day dawns have you ever stopped and asked, where has this new day come from; and where has yesterday gone? Most see it as if we left yesterday in that which we call the past, and have advanced into what we call the future and arrived at a time which we call today. Actually the only happening that occurred was the earth made a revolution on its axis.

“For time and space are one illusion which takes different forms…”      …ACIM

Albert Einstein once wrote in a letter to the widow of a friend of his: “…For us physicists believe the separation between past, present, and future is only an illusion, although a convincing one.” The Course puts it this way when talking about the opposite emotion of love, which is fear: “Fear is not of the present but only of the past and future, which do not exist.“

As I mentioned above, it’s a truly difficult idea to accept, but the only time that exists is this present moment. Even Albert Einstein, in the above quote, admitted that the illusion is a convincing one. The Course, in the above header quote, points out that time and space are one illusion. And about itself it says something very important: “This course will be believed entirely or not at all.”

I have accepted the Course as the ultimate in spiritual teachings, therefore, even though I may not completely understand some things as yet, I have to accept and believe what it says. I am beginning to understand some things about our concepts of time. As I said about the Alcoholics Anonymous slogan above, the light flashed bright and clear as it dawned on me that there’s no other day than today. That’s easy to understand if we think about it for a bit.

It’s also easy to accept the idea that time is a relative concept. If we’re doing something that we really love, and are therefore enjoying ourselves, time flies by really quickly. But on the other hand, if we’re presented with a situation we really dislike, and therefore are in misery, it drags by very slowly. The Course agrees with this when it tells us, “And time will be as you interpret it, for of itself it is nothing.”

Not One of us Will Find Happiness Someday

Most of us whom desire to be happy hardly ever acquire our desire. Yet happiness or joy is the only purpose there is to life – there’s absolutely no other purpose to it. I understand that most probably won’t accept an idea as simple as, the purpose of life is no other than finding joy. They believe it must be something deeper and more complicated than that. And so they go on, overlooking its purpose, trying their utmost to find it. For not one of us does anything unless we believe deep inside that somewhere, or somehow, it will make us feel better.

We search in many different places and things for that which seems so illusive; namely true and lasting happiness, believing that someday we’re sure to find it. Maybe, we think, if I trade my car and get a new one I’ll be happy. But that never seems to work. We might feel some elation for a few days, but it soon fades away. Some get the idea that if they sell their house and move to a different geographical location they’re sure to find happiness there, but again that never seems to work either.

On and on it goes, a futile search in a place – the physical world – for something that doesn’t exist there, nor ever will. As the Course says: “Be you glad that you are told where happiness abides and seek no longer elsewhere. You will fail. But it is given you to know the truth and not to seek for it outside yourself.”

“God’s Will for you is perfect happiness.”   …ACIM

If the above quote from the Course is true – and there’s absolutely no possibility that it’s not – then I ask, how could you not be happy; how could God will something and it not be so? The answer to those questions is found in quietness, and not in conflict. This physical world is a place of continuous conflict, where the answer to any question is different for everyone. But God’s answer is the same for everyone. In the above quote Jesus tells us where happiness can be found and to seek no longer elsewhere, for you will fail. He tells us not to seek for it outside ourselves. 

We are told that the “The power of decision is your one remaining freedom as a prisoner of this world.” In other words, the power to decide is the only power we humans have left, and it’s this power we must use every instant that we spend in time. Everything we do, everything we feel, everywhere we go, everything we say, whatever it is; they’re all based on a decision. And so is the choice to place our happiness in that illusionary time we call, someday.

If we truly want to be happy, then we can be happy, for it is God’s will that we be happy. But happiness is a state that will never be achieved someday, because someday never comes, and neither does the happiness we invest in it. The only time available to us in which we can be happy is right now. And like everything else happiness is a decision.

I’m going to end this post with a quote from the great Spiritual Teacher, Dr. Wayne Dyer. He said: “Be miserable. Or motivate yourself. Whatever has to be done, it’s always your choice.”

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A POSITIVE MIND = A HAPPY LIFE  

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