There is a beautiful distinction to be drawn between “the real present” (a la Boris Mouravieff), aka “the eternal NOW” (a la Paul Tillich, et al), on the one hand, and what we might call “the conventional present”, on the other. We have the mind of Christ and, as such, God is with us (cf. parousia). But for the carnal (or egoic) mind, the garden of God is but a faint memory and the conventional present is merely a paper-thin means to some imagined future (as the prodigal pilgrimage continues).
But rather than fleeing tribulation, we always have the option of, Christ-like, denying ourselves, taking up our cross, and entering into life NOW. Those first two steps are a doozies, to be sure, but in the words of a rather famous Quaker who was active during the first half of the 20th century:
“The Now is no mere nodal point between the past and the future. It is the seat and region of the Divine Presence itself…. The Now contains all that is needed for the absolute satisfaction of our deepest cravings…. In the Now we are at home at last.” (Thomas Kelly, “A Testament of Devotion”)
