I came across the works of Eckhart Tolle at a low point in my life, when I felt most stuck with nowhere to turn but my own faith and the wisdom of others.

There is something quite liberating about his “power of NOW” ideology. It helps you shed the baggage of negativity wrought from the past and the needless anxiety for an unrealized future.

Yet, as powerful as the idea is in its simplicity, it is just as difficult to practice.

Try sitting still in a quiet space, just basking in the nowness of the present moment.

It feels glorious… until you get restless and think about the things you still have to do for the day.

Eckhart Tolle, however, says that it is only the present moment that matters. While it is not about shedding your ties to the “real world,” as we call it, but being mindful of every moment — the now — I still have to wrap my mind around this idea as I struggle to unshackle myself from the demands of the world around me.

I must also keep trying to remind myself not to waste my minutes being angry or sad or worried, yet neither cling to my little joys and triumphs. These all do not last. Everything is fleeting, so learn to let go.

Feel the anger — let it go. Feel the happiness — let it go. This teaches us how to listen to ourselves better.

We all go through this moment of letting go as every old year turns to the new.

As individuals, we see it as another chance to be or to do better. We start every year setting goals and intentions, making a decision to start fresh or pick up where we left off at some chaotic point.

As a family, it could mean the time we finally forgive — and embrace the need to heal as one. The same goes for communities, cultures, and countries. Everyone, after all, is connected.

As for our country, many wounds have yet to heal.

While an idyllic unity may never be completely achieved, we can decide to cooperate with and support each other on the major goals as a nation.

In the words of President Bongbong Marcos, in his New Year’s Eve message: “As a nation, we bid farewell to the challenges and triumphs of the past year and embrace a new dawn of opportunity and hope that heralds another fresh start for all.”

This kind of optimism is essential in these times.

I would like to quote further from his statement and defy Eckhart Tolle as I look back at this moment, remembering this: “As we welcome 2024 with great optimism, I call upon every Filipino from every corner of the world to contribute to the future of our beloved motherland. Let us embody the spirit of solidarity through acts of kindness, volunteerism, and compassion, knowing that each of us is a catalyst for our country’s meaningful social transformation.”

He also mentioned “the dream of a revitalized Philippines” and that perennial hope for “peace, progress and prosperity for all.”

Right now, in this frazzled state of mind, when things always feel to be in flux and when it is hard to believe in anyone, let alone recover your sense of trust in humanity, these words are what I needed to hear.

I just find them so soothing and reassuring, like a hug, and I hope many Filipinos will listen and act on them more. Now is not the time to be divided.