Eckhart TolleNYT Bestselling author of the Power of Now

Are You Trapped in Time?

16 Jul 2026 · 1 min

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In this brief excerpt, spiritual teacher Eckhart Tolle explains that the personal sense of self resides within the dimension of past and future, which constitute time. He notes that while we perceive past and future, they cannot be directly experienced because they are not actual entities, yet we rely on them to navigate life. Tolle poses the central question of whether we are consumed by this temporal dimension—being lost in it—or if we can employ time practically without becoming trapped by it.

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The personal sense of self exists in the dimension of past and future. That's where time happens. And we have what looks like past and future, but can never be experienced directly because they don't exist in actuality. But we need them to move in this dimension. We need constant reference to past and future. But the question is, is it consuming us? Are we lost in it? Or are we able to use time for practical purposes but not be trapped in it?