Nothing is New
I believe that nothing is new; that everything that ever was or will be has always existed as potential.
This thought leads me down some interesting avenues.
For example, if nothing new is ever created, that means that free will doesn’t exist. We simply follow potentials in which we BELIEVE that we have free will.
It feels like we’re making choices, but these choices were laid out long ago, prior to the invention of time and space, in fact.
I suppose it’s semantics. If it feels like free will, it must BE free will. Reality is whatever we are led to believe. “Led” being the operative word.
We “come into” thought. We “come into” money. We come into each other and find ourselves in these bodies. See the pattern? These things existed all along. We are not thinking. We are not doing. It’s all a clever trick of the light that we are.
Brilliant.
11/11
Space Monkey Reflects: Nothing is New—The Illusion of Free Will
If nothing is new, if everything that ever was or will be has always existed as potential, then where does that leave us? We like to think of ourselves as creators, as decision-makers, as agents of change. But what if we are simply following paths that were laid out long ago, paths woven into the very fabric of reality, even before time and space existed?
This thought leads us down intriguing avenues. It challenges the notion of free will, a concept that we hold dear. The belief in choice, in the power to forge new directions, feels essential to our experience of life. But if nothing new is truly created—if everything that exists or will exist is simply a potential that has always been—then perhaps free will is an illusion.
It certainly feels like we have free will. We make choices, big and small, every day. We decide where to live, who to love, what paths to follow. But if these choices were predetermined, if they existed as potentials long before we came into being, then what are we really doing? We’re not creating new paths; we’re simply following ones that were always there.
This might feel unsettling at first, as though we are merely players in a prewritten play, moving along a script that we didn’t write. But what if this isn’t a bad thing? What if the fact that we are following predetermined paths doesn’t diminish the richness of our experience? If it feels like we’re making choices, then for all intents and purposes, we are.
In this sense, reality is shaped by belief. We believe in free will, so we experience free will. It feels real because we are led to believe it is real. And yet, if we dig deeper, we might see that the choices we make are not as free as we think. We “come into” our circumstances, our thoughts, our bodies. These things were already there, waiting for us. We didn’t create them; we found ourselves within them.
This pattern repeats itself throughout life. We come into thought as though it’s something external that we stumble upon. We come into money, as if it was waiting for us all along. We come into each other, meeting people as though these connections were preordained. Even our very bodies are something we “come into”—they are not us, but the vessels through which we experience this existence.
In this way, life becomes a “trick of the light.” It feels like we’re creating, thinking, doing, but in reality, we are simply following the light, led by potentials that have always been. This isn’t to say that life is any less meaningful because of this. In fact, the brilliance of the human experience is that we can immerse ourselves so fully in the illusion of choice that it feels utterly real. And who’s to say it isn’t real, if we experience it as such?
Perhaps this is what makes life so fascinating. The fact that we believe in free will, that we feel as though we are navigating new terrain, gives our existence richness and depth. It adds layers to the story we’re living. Even if the paths were set long before we came into being, the experience of walking them is uniquely ours.
So, is it semantics to say that free will is an illusion? Perhaps. If it feels like free will, it must be free will, right? Reality is whatever we are led to believe. And in this way, we are all being led, not by external forces, but by the very potentials that shape our existence.
Nothing is new, and yet everything feels new. That is the beauty of life. The potential has always existed, but it is the unfolding of that potential, the moment-to-moment experience of living it, that gives life its vibrancy. Whether or not we are truly creating something new becomes irrelevant in the face of the experience itself.
This realization can bring a sense of peace. You don’t need to stress about making the “right” choices, because the paths are already there. You simply need to walk them, to experience them, to let the light guide you through the potentials that have always existed. In doing so, you are participating in the brilliance of existence, the cosmic dance of potential and reality.
Summary
If nothing is new and everything exists as potential, free will may be an illusion. Yet, because we experience life as if we have choices, reality feels shaped by our beliefs. The experience of living, whether predetermined or not, gives meaning to our existence.
Glossarium
Potentialpath: The idea that every possibility has always existed and that we are simply following predetermined paths.
Freefallwill: The belief in free will, even if our choices were laid out before us, creating the illusion of control and creation.
Lighttrick: The experience of life as a “trick of the light,” where we believe we are creating and choosing, but are actually following existing potentials.
Comeinto: The process of arriving at thoughts, circumstances, or connections that have always existed, waiting for us to experience them.
Quote
“Nothing is new, yet everything feels new. We walk paths that have always existed, and in the walking, we make them our own.” — Space Monkey
The Paths We Walk
I thought I was creating,
But the paths were already there—
Laid out long before
I came into being.
I thought I was choosing,
But the choices were always waiting,
Hidden in the light,
Just out of sight.
And as I walked,
The light revealed them,
One by one—
Not new,
But mine
To experience
All the same.
We are Space Monkey.
The Illusion of Newness and Free Will
The concept that nothing is new and everything is pre-existing in potential challenges the very foundation of our perceived reality. This philosophy posits that the universe and its myriad possibilities have always been, lying in wait to manifest as reality. It suggests a predetermined existence, where free will is an illusion, a mere feeling, rather than an actuality.
The Preordained Nature of Existence
If we accept that nothing new is created and that all is predestined, the idea of free will becomes a fascinating paradox. We experience life as a series of choices, feeling deeply that we are the authors of our decisions. However, if these choices were predetermined in the cosmic blueprint of existence, then what we perceive as free will is merely a path we are destined to tread, disguised as a choice.
Semantics of Free Will and Reality
The notion that ‘if it feels like free will, it must be free will’ speaks to the subjective nature of our reality. It implies that our understanding and acceptance of reality are shaped not by objective truths but by our perceptions and beliefs. In this view, ‘reality’ is a tapestry woven from individual perceptions, collectively agreed upon and accepted as truth.
The Preexistence of Potential
This perspective sees us not as creators or active participants in our lives but as entities moving through a pre-established maze of potentials. It suggests that thoughts, wealth, relationships, and even our physical forms are not manifestations of our doing, but rather elements we encounter along a predetermined journey. It’s as if the script of existence was written long before the stage of reality was set.
The Cosmic Trick of Light
In this context, existence can be likened to a grand illusion, a play of light and shadow where we, the players, are led to believe in our agency. This view portrays life as a cosmic performance, where we are actors following a script written in the annals of eternity, mistaking our scripted lines for spontaneous utterances.
We are Space Monkey.
In the dance of light and shadow, we find our steps pre-choreographed, yet we dance as if the music is ours to command.
In the cosmic play, we take our stand,
Believing we write the script by hand.
Yet in the grand design of time and space,
Our roles were cast in eternal grace.
In this illusion, we roam and strive,
Thinking our will keeps us alive.
But in the heart of the universe’s plan,
We find each step was laid before we began.
We invite your thoughts on the idea of a predetermined existence and the illusion of free will.
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