Spiritual realization
Set, at the micro-level, a life. It consists of three parts: the past, the future, and the present that divides them.
The value of the past: it is known. At best it is a source of lessons and wisdom. At worst, it is a source of trauma.
The value of the future: it is where intentions reside. At best it is where hope dwells; at worst, where anxieties are derived. Yet: it does not actually exist.
The value of the present: it is all one really has. It is the moment in which choices are made that translate possibility into reality. It is ever-fleeting, and it is possible for a life to pass by without conscious awareness that it is doing so.
Set, at the macro-level, lives. Do not get fixated on the details of reincarnation or the afterlife; merely suppose that one's soul existed prior to their current residence in earthly form, and will continue to exist after that body dies.
Based on that premise, past lives cannot be known (although some compelling cases suggest that memories can be retrieved), but the soul's experience shapes its current character. This is karma: the accumulation of past actions.
In turn, future lives (or the afterlife) are shaped by what one does in this life. This is the kernel of commonality across the major world religions.
And while the notions of past and future lives remain contested—and one can choose to discount them entirely—what we do have is the present life. The life you and I are living, right now.
To say it differently: it's a choose-your-own-adventure type of scenario. The debate isn't whether or not past and future lives exist for the soul, because the conclusion is the same: you have this life to live. What one chooses to believe shouldn't materially affect the value of that life.
At both the micro- and macro-levels, it is the present experience (of the moment, of one's life) that is of utmost concern. Yes, the past has bearing on our current life situation, and the future is where we typically place our hopes, but again: the future does not exist.
Sorry to say, but what one imagines about tomorrow rarely comes to fruition. Who can discern and anticipate all the variables of the world? The trade-off: one's worries about tomorrow are also dubious. In my own life, I am coming to terms with letting go of desired outcomes—as it means I free myself from the anxieties attached to desire.
Is this easy? No. Questions remain on how one should live their life and to experience the moment; on virtues and ethics; on nihilism, existentialism, etc. Truly, this note is a reflection of an emerging recognition in me. It is the first step in qualifying what matters in the supposed grand scheme of things.