Presence

The Stoics, as philosophers, practitioners, and doers believed in the importance of being present.

This is simply because our lives go much better when we are present.

All of the three stoic disciplines action, desire, and judgement rely on us being alert and focused on the current moment. By focusing on the current moment, we can grasp clearly what is under our control and act decisively. We may experience joy, through desiring what we have, instead of being distracted by things not present, things we cannot control. When we are present, we can exercise objective judgement by noticing our thoughts and reactions.

Marcus Aurelius stresses the importance of presence by telling us to

Forget everything else. Keep hold of this alone and remember it: Each of us lives only now, this brief instant. The rest has been lived already, or is impossible to see.

The aim of meditation practice is to improve our ability to be present by focusing on the sensation of the breath. The idea is to find a meditation object and focus your attention on it. Think of meditation as a way to practice the skill of being present. With practice, you can bring this skill to other areas of your life.

It is easy to become swept away by others, our environment, the past and the future. When we are swept away like this, we lose sight of what is important and become battered around by thoughts and sensation. Instead, we must be present in order to act decisively, take gratitude in what we have now, and accurately asses what is important, what is under our control.

Wipe out the imagination. Stop pulling the strings. Confine thyself to the present.