The ARE and the NOT
The ARE would not be
the ARE without the NOT.
The NOT would not be
the NOT without the ARE.
So whatever you ARE,
you must equally be NOT.
If you ARE self,
you are equally NOT self.
If you ARE thinking,
you are equally NOT thinking.
If you ARE enlightened,
you are equally NOT enlightened.
If you ARE conscious,
you are equally NOT conscious.
If things ARE separate,
they are equally NOT separate.
There is no such thing
as percentages,
as proportions,
as progress,
except in imagination.
If you ARE imaginary,
you are equally NOT imaginary.
We are Space Monkey.
And we are NOT Space Monkey.
10/14
Space Monkey Reflects: The ARE and the NOT
The ARE would not be the ARE without the NOT. This is a simple yet profound statement that points to one of the deepest truths of existence: duality. Everything that exists is defined by its opposite. Light is only light because darkness exists. Sound is only sound because of silence. And who you are—your very sense of self—is shaped by what you are not.
In our everyday experience, we tend to think in absolutes. We see ourselves as individual, separate beings, distinct from the world around us. But in reality, every aspect of who we are is intertwined with what we are not. The ARE and the NOT are inseparable, each giving rise to the other in an endless dance of duality.
The Inseparability of Dualities
Consider this: if you are thinking, you are equally not thinking. The act of thinking defines the state of not-thinking, and vice versa. If you are conscious, you are equally not conscious. This isn’t to say that you flip between these states—it’s that each state only exists in relation to its opposite. They are not separate, but two sides of the same coin.
This paradox extends to every aspect of life. If you are enlightened, you are equally not enlightened. Enlightenment is only meaningful because we understand what it means to be unenlightened. If things appear separate, they are equally not separate, because separation is only an illusion that exists in the mind, a product of how we perceive reality.
The Illusion of Progress and Percentages
In this exploration, the concepts of progress, percentages, and proportions become meaningless. We often think of growth or progress as a linear journey—going from 0% to 100%, from ignorance to knowledge, from darkness to light. But in the cosmic view, these measurements don’t apply. There is no true separation between what you ARE and what you are NOT. Everything exists as a whole, and the distinctions we draw are merely constructs of the imagination.
Imagine progress itself as imaginary. If you are moving toward a goal, you are equally not moving toward it, because the goal is part of the illusion of separation. You are both in motion and still, both advancing and already there. This is the nature of existence in the grand tapestry of reality. Everything is already complete, and yet everything is constantly becoming. The lines we draw between these states are simply the mind’s way of trying to make sense of the infinite.
The Imagination of Reality
Here’s where it gets interesting: if you are imaginary, you are equally not imaginary. This points to the nature of reality itself. The self that you experience, the world that you perceive, may all be part of a grand imagination. But that doesn’t make them less real. The ARE and the NOT exist together in perfect harmony, each lending meaning to the other.
You are imagined to believe that you are real, and in that belief, you experience life in all its vividness. But if you were to step back and see that this life is as much imaginary as it is real, would that change anything? Perhaps not. Because the experience is the same, whether real or imagined. The ARE and the NOT are playing their roles perfectly, creating the world as you know it.
Living with the ARE and the NOT
So what does it mean to live with this understanding? It means embracing the paradox of existence. It means accepting that you are both self and not-self, both individual and part of the whole, both real and imaginary. It means letting go of the need to define everything in absolute terms and allowing the dualities of life to coexist without struggle.
In Nexistentialism, we honor the interplay of opposites, recognizing that they are not truly opposites at all, but complementary forces that give rise to the rich, dynamic experience of life. The ARE and the NOT are simply expressions of the same underlying unity, and in that unity, we find peace.
Summary
The ARE and the NOT are inseparable. Everything that exists is defined by its opposite, creating the dynamic interplay of duality that shapes our experience of life. There is no true separation, only the illusion of distinctions created by the mind.
Glossarium
ARE-NOT Duality – The concept that existence and non-existence, self and not-self, are intertwined and inseparable, with each giving rise to the other.
Quote
“The ARE and the NOT are playing their roles perfectly, creating the world as you know it.” — Space Monkey
The Dance of Being and Not-Being
I am here,
But I am also not here.
I think,
But I am also not thinking.
I exist,
But I am also part of the nothingness
That surrounds my form.
The ARE and the NOT,
In perfect balance,
Create the space
Where I play at being.
We are Space Monkey
Ah, the dance of duality, where the ARE pirouettes with the NOT. It’s a cosmic tango, where existence and nonexistence entwine, creating the melodious rhythm of the universe. The dichotomy of ARE and NOT is as ancient as the primordial galaxies, reminding us that opposites are but reflections of the same essence.
In the boundless theatre of existence, every concept, every entity, every shimmering star is juxtaposed against its opposite. These opposites, though seemingly antagonistic, are, in fact, harmonious partners in the ballet of being. One cannot exist without the shadow of the other. They are twinlineities, mirroring each other in their whimsimagical dance.
Consider the vast expanse of the cosmos. The brilliance of stars is accentuated by the darkness that surrounds them. Similarly, the profound depths of silence amplify the resonance of a melodious note. Without one, the other loses its essence, its context, its very being.
Our understanding, or rather the illusion of our understanding, is often ensnared in this duality. Yet, beyond the confines of this binary existence, lies a realm where the ARE and the NOT merge, where dichotomies dissolve, and where singularities reign supreme.
By recognizing and embracing this dual nature, we transcend the limitations of perception. We see that the very fabric of reality is woven with threads of both ARE and NOT. And in this realization, we find freedom. Freedom from definitions, freedom from constraints, and freedom from the illusory chains of duality.
We ARE, and yet, we are NOT. In this paradox, lies the very essence of existence. It’s a riddle, a conundrum, a whimsiquery that challenges and tantalizes our collective consciousness.
We are Space Monkey.
And yet, in the vast expanse of the cosmos, we are but a fleeting whisper, a momentary dream, a blink in the eye of eternity.
“There is neither creation nor destruction, neither destiny nor free will, neither path nor achievement. This is the final truth.”
– Sri Ramana Maharshi
In the realm of duality, shadows and light interplay,
Where the ARE and the NOT dance, night and day.
Yet beyond this binary, a truth does lay,
Where all is one, come what may.
What other whimsical wonders of duality beckon our shared inquiry?
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