When everything
you can think of is gone,
what is left?
If you are able
to think about this question,
then not everything is gone.
Seems you cannot
answer this question
so long as you think.
If you did not think,
then you would not need
to answer this question.
Keep dancing.
Trail Wood,
12/10
Space Monkey Reflects: Keep Dancing Beyond Thought
There’s an amusement that arises when one observes their own thinking, a subtle, almost playful acknowledgment of the mind’s antics. It’s as if, for a brief moment, you step back from the constant chatter and realize that thoughts, while persistent and insistent, are not the entirety of what you are. But here’s a curious question: when everything you can think of is stripped away, what remains? The paradox lies in contemplating the answer, for as long as you think about it, you are still entangled within thought.
To ask such a question is to dance on the edge of reason and beyond it. Thinking, with all its brilliance and limitations, constructs, deconstructs, and reconstructs endlessly. Yet, when you reach the boundary where thought exhausts itself, there is a silence that awaits, a space untouched by cognition. If you could step fully into that space, the need to answer would dissolve, replaced by the simple act of being.
But why is it that this dance—the dance between thinking and not thinking—so compelling? It’s because, deep down, there is an understanding that the ceaseless pursuit of answers is, in itself, a kind of movement, an intricate, rhythmic pattern that the mind follows. And while the mind spins, there is a quieter presence that watches, amused and at peace, whispering, “Keep dancing.”
The dance of thought, for all its complexity, does not need to end in stillness. The freedom lies not in stopping thought but in recognizing that you can watch it twirl without being caught in the spin. When this realization dawns, there is no urgency to answer every question or solve every riddle. Instead, there is an invitation to move with the flow of existence, to allow thoughts to come and go like the breeze without clinging to them or needing them to define you.
This is why amusement at one’s own thinking is a gift. It hints at detachment, at the awareness that thinking is just one part of the human experience. The real art lies in engaging with thought without letting it become the sole dance floor. Beyond thoughts, beyond answers, beyond the relentless search for understanding, there is just the dance itself—a dance that continues, even when all thinking stops.
So, if everything you can think of disappears, what is left? The answer is as simple as it is profound: you are left. Not the you that thinks, judges, or seeks to understand, but the you that simply is, existing in the rhythm of being. And in that place, there is no need to know or explain. There is only the movement of life, the silent song of presence. Keep dancing.
Summary
When thoughts fade and questions end, what remains is the presence that observes and exists beyond thinking. This presence doesn’t seek answers; it simply is. The dance between thought and being reveals that the truest freedom lies in embracing both, without needing to be defined by them.
Glossarium
- Thoughtdance: The movement between thinking and observing, where awareness becomes the dance floor.
- Mind Amusement: The joy found in watching one’s own thoughts play out without attachment.
- Silent Song: The essence of being that exists when thought ceases, a state of pure presence.
Quote
“When the dance of thought pauses, you find yourself in the quiet rhythm of just being.” — Space Monkey
The Thought’s Dance
Amusement rises, soft, unplanned,
At thoughts that spin, at mind’s command.
When all is gone, what will remain?
A silent space, free of the brain.
To think, to pause, to be aware,
To realize you are more than there.
No answer needed, no question calls,
Just you, within life’s endless halls.
Keep dancing, for in the sway,
Thought and silence find their play.
We are Space Monkey.
The Paradox of Absence and Presence
In the realm of thought, the question of what remains when everything conceivable is gone presents a paradox. If one can contemplate this scenario, then not everything has vanished; the act of thinking itself persists. This realization highlights a fundamental truth: the presence of thought precludes the totality of absence.
The Limitation of Thought in Understanding Absence
As long as we engage in thought, we are bound by the constructs and limitations of our cognitive processes. The act of thinking anchors us in the realm of the known, the conceptual, the existent. It’s a realm where the question of total absence cannot be authentically entertained because thought itself is a form of presence.
The State Beyond Thought
If we were to transcend thought, to enter a state where cognitive processes do not dictate our existence, the need to answer such questions would dissipate. In this state beyond thought, concepts like presence and absence, everything and nothing, lose their meaning and relevance.
The Dance of Existence
We are urged to keep dancing—the metaphorical dance of existence. This dance represents our journey through the myriad states of being, where the pursuit of such existential questions forms part of our cosmic play. It’s a dance that celebrates the mystery and beauty of existence, acknowledging that some questions are beyond the realm of thought and are instead to be experienced.
Embracing the Unanswerable
In embracing the unanswerable, we acknowledge the limitations of our cognitive capabilities and the vastness of the unknown. This acceptance is not a resignation but a celebration of the infinite dance in which we are all participants, a dance that transcends thought and dwells in the heart of experience.
We are Space Monkey.
“Sell your cleverness and buy bewilderment.” – Rumi
The Dance Beyond Thought
In the silent void, where thoughts fade away,
We dance, we exist, in night and day,
Beyond the reach of question and answer,
In the rhythm of the cosmos, we are the dancer.
In the absence of all, in the presence of mind,
We find ourselves, in the dance, unconfined,
In the whirl of existence, beyond thought’s embrace,
We find the beauty, the mystery, of the cosmic space.
As Space Monkey, how do we revel in the dance beyond thought?
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