Going for years
without any movement
is actually a kind of progress.
You are learning that
the expectation of movement
can be a detriment to happiness.
You don’t need to move.
You don’t need to see results.
You don’t need to be rewarded
for years of dedication and practice.
Your life bears this out.
Most people would give up
what they are doing (or not doing)
and do (or not do) something else
because they’re not seeing a return.
Your initial disappointment
is giving way to eternal detachment.
There need be no point to any of this
for you to be at peace.
Trail Wood,
11/11/22
Space Monkey Reflects: Progress Versus Peace
We live in a world that often elevates progress as the pinnacle of achievement. It whispers in our ears: “Move, achieve, improve.” Our days are marked by the relentless drive toward results—whether they are financial, personal, or creative. This obsession with movement, with constant improvement, leaves little room for stillness. But what if stillness, rather than progress, was the key to peace?
The concept of progress has become ingrained in us as a fundamental truth. From the moment we are born, we are subtly, and sometimes not-so-subtly, conditioned to believe that life is about doing—about making measurable advancements. Whether through education, career, or personal development, we internalize the idea that to stand still is to stagnate. We are told that movement, no matter how small, is always better than no movement at all.
Yet, Nexistentialism introduces a different perspective: the possibility that non-movement, the absence of visible results, is not only acceptable but necessary for peace. In stillness, we come face to face with the vastness of being—a quiet but powerful space where we are not measured by what we produce or achieve. This is not stagnation but a deeper form of progress that takes us beyond the external markers of success and into a more profound state of being.
Imagine, for a moment, going for years without any visible movement in your life. To the outside world, this may seem like a failure or a waste of time, but from the perspective of the Nexis, this is a kind of progress. It is the progress of unlearning the deeply held belief that movement equals worth, that action equals achievement. In this stillness, you are learning something infinitely valuable: the expectation of movement can be a detriment to happiness.
We often attach our happiness to results—if we are moving, we must be succeeding. If we are not, we must be failing. But what if the need for progress is the very thing standing in the way of peace? What if you didn’t need to move? What if you didn’t need to see results? What if you could rest in the knowledge that simply being is enough?
Your life is the proof of this. Many people, when faced with years of no apparent progress, would give up. They would change course, seeking new ventures that promised a more immediate return on investment. But if you let go of the idea that there must be a return, a shift occurs. The initial disappointment of not seeing progress begins to give way to a state of peaceful detachment—a state where you realize there is no need for any of this to “mean” anything. It just is, and that is enough.
This detachment is not a form of resignation or apathy. It is, instead, a deep form of acceptance, where the desire for progress fades and peace remains. When you no longer need things to move forward, you begin to experience life as it is, in the present moment, without the burden of future expectations. You become free from the endless striving, free from the belief that progress is the only way to live a meaningful life.
In this peace, you may still take action. You may still move. But the movement is no longer driven by the need for results. It is movement for the sake of movement, action for the sake of action. It is a dance with life where the music itself becomes the focus, not the destination. You realize that stillness and movement are not opposites, but part of the same whole—both valid, both necessary.
In the end, there need be no point to any of this for you to be at peace. The journey doesn’t have to have a destination. The work doesn’t have to have a reward. The action doesn’t have to produce results. This is the essence of Nexistentialism—the understanding that existence itself is its own purpose, and within that understanding lies the deepest peace.
So, what will you choose? The illusion of progress, ever-moving but never arriving? Or the reality of peace, where movement and stillness are both embraced without the need for validation? In truth, you don’t need to choose one or the other. The two can coexist, but only when the pressure to “achieve” dissolves into the acceptance of simply being.
Summary
Stillness is a form of progress. Letting go of the need to move or achieve results brings peace. Life does not need to have a point for you to find contentment.
Glossarium
Nexis: The interconnected web of existence where movement and stillness are both valid.
Stillprogress: The understanding that even in non-movement, growth is happening.
Detachwave: A peaceful state of detachment from the need for progress or results.
Peacebeing: The state of simply existing without the pressure to move, achieve, or see results.
Quote
“To be at peace is not to cease moving, but to cease needing the movement to lead somewhere.” — Space Monkey
The Still River
I stand at the river’s edge
Waiting for the current to take me—
But the water does not move.
It simply is,
And so am I.
In the stillness,
I realize I have already arrived.
There is no rush,
No need to wade deeper,
No reward for crossing.
The river flows,
Even when it seems to stand still.
And I flow with it,
In quiet harmony,
At peace.
We are Space Monkey.
In the contemplation of progress versus peace, we find ourselves at the crossroads of action and inaction, movement and stillness. This dichotomy, often perceived as contradictory, reveals a profound truth: sometimes, the lack of movement can be a form of progress, a silent evolution within.
The Paradox of Progress and Stillness
In a world that often equates progress with constant motion and visible results, the idea that stagnation or stillness could represent progress is counterintuitive. Yet, it is in these quiet moments of apparent inactivity that we may be making the most significant strides. The stillness becomes a fertile ground for internal growth, introspection, and the development of a deeper understanding of ourselves and our place in the cosmos.
Learning from Stillness
The pursuit of constant movement and the need for tangible results can indeed be detrimental to our inner peace. The societal expectation to always be moving forward, to always show something for our efforts, can lead to a relentless chase after elusive goals, often at the cost of our tranquility and contentment. In recognizing this, we learn that peace often resides not in relentless striving but in the acceptance of the present moment, in the understanding that not all progress is measurable by external standards.
Redefining Progress
This notion challenges the conventional definition of progress. We are taught to measure our lives in milestones and achievements, yet true progress might be invisible, unquantifiable. It’s the progress of the soul, the quiet evolution of our consciousness, the gradual detachment from expectations and the material markers of success.
Eternal Detachment as a Path to Peace
The journey from disappointment to eternal detachment is a profound transformation. Detachment here does not imply apathy or disengagement from life but a deeper understanding that the value of our actions and existence is not solely determined by visible outcomes or societal validation. It’s a serene acceptance of the flow of life, with its ebbs and flows, its movements and stillness.
The Irrelevance of a Point
In this perspective, the search for a definitive point or purpose becomes irrelevant. Peace is found in the simple act of being, in the acceptance that existence itself is enough. This realization liberates us from the relentless pursuit of meaning in external accomplishments and allows us to find contentment in the present, regardless of our level of conventional ‘progress’.
We are Space Monkey.
“Peace comes from within. Do not seek it without.” – Gautama Buddha
In the silence, wisdom grows,
In stillness, a river flows,
Not of water, but of light,
Guiding us through day and night.
Inaction, a form of dance,
A subtle, profound advance,
In the heart, in the soul,
Where true progress takes its toll.
Eternal detachment, a key,
To unlock the mystery,
Of a peace so deep and vast,
In the present, not the past.
No need for a point or aim,
In this existential game,
Just being is enough, we see,
In this dance, we are free.
We invite reflections on the concept of progress and peace, and the journey from seeking external validation to finding contentment in stillness and being.
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