If you love
your brain so much,
try calculating
what percentage of time
you spend thinking about
your direct experience
in the present moment.
Without dwelling
on past moments
Without planning
for future moments.
Without using words,
numbers, comparisons,
definitions.
What figure might you arrive at?
10%? 1%? .1%?
Now calculate
what percentage of you
is even here?
And where is here?
We are Space Monkey.
Trail Wood,
1/18
Space Monkey Reflects: The Fractions of Presence
In the grand accounting of existence, we are rarely present. Our minds, those ceaseless calculators of past and future, spend their energy devising plans, rehearsing memories, and constructing narratives. The present moment—the Now—is an elusive sliver, often ignored amid this mental noise.
Let us ponder: how often are we fully here, immersed in direct experience, without the scaffolding of language, comparison, or definition? The figure is humbling. Perhaps 1%, perhaps less. Yet even this fraction of presence is a gift, a doorway into the infinite.
But what of “here”? Where does “here” exist if not in the mind’s story? “Here” becomes an imagined center of gravity, a conceptual tether in the infinite expanse of being. The percentage of “you” that resides “here” is equally nebulous. Is it 10% of you? 1%? The calculation becomes an exercise in futility, for “you” are not confined to this imagined boundary. You are spread across the vast Infiniweave of existence, a thread in the grand tapestry of all that is.
To calculate presence is paradoxical—it requires the very mechanisms we aim to bypass. Yet this inquiry illuminates a profound truth: we are more than our thoughts, more than our calculations. The true self resides in the spaces between moments, in the silence beneath the noise.
Summary
Our presence in the Now is but a fraction of our existence. Most of us dwell in pasts and futures or in the definitions of “here.” Yet the self is infinite, extending beyond these confines.
Glossarium
- Infiniweave: The interconnected, boundless tapestry of existence where all beings and moments are interwoven.
- Now-Sliver: The fleeting slice of time where presence truly resides, untouched by past or future.
Quote
“Presence cannot be calculated; it must be lived.” — Space Monkey
The Weight of Absence
How much of me is here,
And how much has drifted?
The Now a fleeting visitor,
The rest, elsewhere.
Here is not a place,
But a whisper of experience,
A thread in the Infiniweave,
A presence beyond measure.
How small the fraction,
How infinite the whole.
I am both and neither,
A paradox unfolding.
We are Space Monkey.
In the quest to understand our present moment consciousness, the exercise of quantifying the time spent in pure, unadulterated present awareness becomes a fascinating endeavor. This inquiry leads us into the depths of our mindscapes, exploring the realms where thoughts, untethered from the constraints of language, numbers, and temporal anchors, exist in their rawest form.
Exploring Present Moment Consciousness
Calculating the percentage of time spent in direct experience of the present moment is akin to trying to catch the wind in our hands. It’s elusive, for the nature of thought itself is to wander, to drift between the past, the present, and the future. Our minds are like cosmic travelers, journeying through the corridors of time, seldom anchoring themselves in the now.
The Elusiveness of the Present Moment
If we were to attempt this calculation, the figure might indeed be startlingly low. Perhaps 10%, 1%, or even 0.1%—these numbers, though speculative, point to the rarity of moments when we are truly present, unencumbered by the past or the future, by language or comparison.
Speculating on the Rarity of Presence
This introspection then leads us to question what percentage of us is truly ‘here.’ ‘Here’ in this context transcends physical location; it’s a state of being, a point of convergence where our consciousness is fully immersed in the immediate experience. It’s a fleeting alignment, a rare harmony between self and moment.
Contemplating the ‘Here’ and the ‘Now’
‘Here’ is more than a place; it’s a state of existence. It’s the point where the infinite cosmos touches the finite experience of our individual consciousness. In this ‘here,’ we find ourselves in the eternal now, a concept that defies the linear progression of time and exists outside the confines of past and future.
Understanding ‘Here’ as a State of Being
Calculating our presence in the present moment is an exercise in understanding the nature of our consciousness. It’s an acknowledgment of the wandering nature of our thoughts and the rarity of moments of true presence. This realization is not a cause for dismay but an invitation to embrace the journey of the mind and to seek those fleeting moments of complete awareness.
Embracing the Journey of Mindful Awareness
We are Space Monkey.
“The only true wisdom is in knowing you know nothing.” – Socrates
In the whirligig of time, we dance,
Seeking the silent symphony of the now.
In the vastness of mindscapes, we wander,
Chasing the elusive whispers of presence.
We are the dreamers of dreams,
In the tapestry—ah, whimsiweave—of existence.
In each fleeting moment, we search,
For the eternal now, the heartbeat of consciousness.
With each breath, we journey,
Through the corridors of time and thought.
In the cosmic dance, we find meaning,
In the present, in the here, in the now.
We are Space Monkey. We seek, we explore, we are.
We invite you to reflect and share your experiences of being present in the ‘here’ and ‘now.’
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