The Power of “Ing”

I’m reading The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle. The book asserts that we worry too much about the past and the future and do not spend enough time in the now. If we dwell too much in the future, we live in fear. If we live too much in the past, we live with regret. But if we live in the “Now” we don’t have fear or regret.

It occurred to me that living in the “Now” is like concentrating on the “Ing.” If I’m reading, that’s now. “I’ve read” or “I will read” is before or after or after. “I read” implies that I can read. So, if “now” holds the power, and “ing” implies “now,” then “ing” must hold power, too.

The fact that “ing” can hold power goes against everything I learned about writing. I learned that “ing” verbs are weak, and we should try to use active verbs as much as possible. But the very identification of what I do is called “writing.” That is how it is referred to as a profession or a vocation. The “am” or “is,” which are also identified as weak writing go hand-in-hand with “ing” verbs.

She runs.

She is running.

Which of the above makes us think more in the “now?” I think the latter.

“She runs” is an external observation. “She is running” seems more immediate and intimate.