Be Here Now

BE HERE NOW. The ultimate “mantra” voiced by Dr. Richard Alpert, known to many of us as Baba Ram Dass. Last Friday night I saw “Acid Test: The Many Incarnations of Ram Dass” at The Marsh in Berkeley. It featured Warren David Keith as the performer and was written by Lynne Kaufman. This one-man play covered three significant events in the life of Ram Dass – meeting his guru Neem Karoli Baba in India, being present at his father’s passing, and dealing with a serious and debilitating illness in these last years of his life. The performance was fun, sad and deeply effective. Now, it may have been particularly enjoyable to me because I met both Ram Dass and his guru (referred to as “the blanket Baba”) in India in the 1970’s. At the time they were funny, powerful and quite present.

In his many books and lectures Ram Dass has gifted us with his message of mindfulness. For him, it is all about being and staying in the now. It is difficult to “be here now”, though. When you think about it, it’s already behind you. When you contemplate where you want to be or what you want to do, you are beyond the present moment.

I spoke briefly with Warren David Keith after the show. He told me about performing the play for Ram Dass at his retreat in Maui. He said Ram Dass was very frail but very present. How often does someone get a chance to see their life story acted out in front of them? If we were to see our own story played out before our eyes, could we “be here now”, too?

In our own businesses we try to stay present – in front of clients, ordering inventory, hiring staff, reviewing financials. Can we assess past performance and plan for the future while also being present and aware? It may be difficult but it might help us stay focused on what is most important and run our businesses with openness and mindfulness.

If you are interested in seeing the play, it’ll be at The Marsh in San Francisco on April 12th.