Here in this first of a two-part series we tackle "now" from numerous vantages, among others including as a word with all its practical denotation and connotations as well as its application to "being in the present," as popularly voiced by Eckhart Tolle. It includes the beginnings of a near-term historical perspective in its use from the 1960s as it's evolved into a pseudo-secular faith call. FAIR WARNING: Reflecting our attempt to get to now, this session's quiet points have been struck and/or shrunk to induce a rapid fire (an element of combustion).