Alan Watts, the late philosopher, coined the phrase ‘the tail wagging the dog’ as a metaphor for the way in which people believe that they can’t choose something in the present moment because of the past.
In any moment, to believe that we can’t do something because of the past is a judgement. Something is either possible or not possible in the present moment, and if it is possible then telling ourselves we can’t choose it because of the past is an illusion that keeps us from living – and choosing – in the moment.
Living in the moment is actually a normal and natural but rare thing, to experience that authentically, as our society and the mind is so entrained to judge, which takes the focus into the future and the past, and it can take a bit of experiencing withdrawal symptoms to give that habit up, and live in the moment again with originality.
The ‘Tail Wagging The Dog’ Tool: “Would I let go of any judgements that are stopping me from living in the moment, incorrectly convincing me that the past determines the future? Anything that doesn’t allow that I now choose to let go.”
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