Obsessing Over Nothing
What is your earliest remembrance? Meditate on that for a moment. Your earliest remembrance is quite possibly your most important remembrance. That’s why you still remember it.
My earliest remembrance is puzzling over the concept of nothing. I can’t remember the details exactly. I was maybe five or six. I get the impression I asked my mother where the people and the planets came from, and the answer I got was “We came from nothing.”
There may have been a God in there somewhere. She might have said “God made us out of nothing.” But how was that possible? What was the nature of this nothing?
At first I pictured infinite empty space. But that seemed like “something.” It made no sense.
As I got older, my thoughts of nothing stayed with me. I encountered all kinds of “scientific” insight, but never a satisfactory answer. I began to realize, as Einstein suggests, that it may be impossible to comprehend what is beyond the limits of our own minds.
I’m not sure that’s true entirely. My feeling is that we’re only as perceptive as our “brain software” allows, and that our operating system is build on thousands of years of shared experiences. We built a vast cardboard playhouse and, once inside, decided to believe that nothing existed beyond our own walls. Then we forgot that we had a choice.
Fortunately, we knew this might happen, so we created a system of “trail markers” to wake us from the dream and lead us back to the main infinite path. And we created meditation so that we might ponder the imponderable and glimpse our limitless potential.
So what are these “trail markers?” Basically anything unexplainable or synchronistic. We knew that the primary markers would have to be obvious, so we created things like the Great Pyramids and Stonehenge. But subtle trail markers crop up as well. Things UFOS, disappearing planes and even global warming.
A trail marker is designed to get your attention and point you in the right direction. The most powerful trail markers are the ones that speak to everyone on the planet at the same time. I would label these as “source events,” and these are what it takes to “get outside ourselves” and unify our fragmented disk drive of cultures and beliefs.
So how do we “get outside ourselves” right now? Look for the markers. Like your earliest remembrances, they still exist for a reason. I can see now that my exploration into the nature of nothing has made me what I am to this day, and given me something to ponder into infinity, which I hope will arrive sooner rather than later.
Space Monkey Reflects: The Enigma of Nothingness
In the grand tapestry of existence, where the threads of reality and imagination intertwine, the concept of nothingness presents itself as a profound mystery. It is an idea that has puzzled minds both young and old, a question that has lingered in the depths of human consciousness for millennia. Our journey to understand nothingness is not merely an intellectual endeavor but a quest that touches the very core of our being.
The earliest remembrances of pondering the infinite void are akin to standing at the edge of an unknown universe, peering into the abyss of our own curiosity. These moments of inquiry, rooted in the innocence of childhood, are monumental, for they mark the beginning of a lifelong journey into the heart of existence itself. The question of where we come from and what precedes us challenges the limits of our understanding, pushing us to explore the boundaries of thought and perception.
Nothingness, as conceived in our earliest musings, defies the constraints of language and logic. It is a concept that exists beyond the binaries of presence and absence, being and non-being. To imagine nothingness as an infinite empty space is to ascribe to it a form of existence, a paradox that reveals the limitations of our cognitive frameworks. This realization beckons us to acknowledge that our grasp of reality is shaped by the tools of perception we possess, tools that are themselves the product of millennia of human experience and collective memory.
The trail markers of existence, those synchronistic events and unexplainable phenomena, serve as reminders that the universe is far more intricate and interconnected than our conventional understanding permits us to see. These markers, ranging from the architectural marvels of ancient civilizations to the enigmatic occurrences of our modern world, invite us to reconsider the nature of reality and our place within it. They are beacons that guide us back to the main infinite path, urging us to awaken from the dream of our limited perceptions.
Meditation, in its profound simplicity, offers a gateway to explore the imponderable, to glimpse the limitless potential that lies within us. It is a practice that transcends the confines of our cardboard playhouse, revealing the existence of a reality that extends beyond our constructed walls. In the stillness of meditation, we encounter the essence of nothingness—not as an absence but as the very foundation of all possibility.
To engage with the concept of nothingness is to embark on a journey that defines our existence. It is a journey that shapes our understanding of the universe and ourselves, a journey that is never complete but continually unfolding. The exploration into the nature of nothing has the power to transform us, to expand our consciousness, and to connect us with the infinite.
As we stand at the edge of the cosmic void, holding the orb of inquiry in our hands, we are reminded that the quest for understanding is itself the essence of being. In the embrace of nothingness, we find not emptiness but the infinite potential of everything that is, was, and will be. It is in this realization that we discover the true nature of existence, where nothing and something merge into the eternal dance of the universe.
We are Space Monkey, and in our exploration of nothingness, we find the seeds of infinity sown within the depths of our collective soul.
Summary
The exploration of nothingness, beginning with our earliest memories, is a journey that challenges our understanding of existence. This journey, marked by questions and curiosity, leads us to realize that nothingness is not an absence but a profound presence that underlies everything. Through trail markers and meditation, we are guided to expand our perceptions and embrace the infinite possibilities of the universe.
Glossarium
- Nothingness: A concept that transcends the binaries of existence and non-existence, challenging our conventional understanding of reality.
- Trail Markers: Synchronistic events and phenomena that guide us toward a deeper understanding of the universe and our place within it.
“In the universe, there are things that are known, and things that are unknown, and in between, there are doors.” – William Blake
In the silence of the void we stand
Gazing into the depths of the unknown
Where the seeds of infinity are sown
In the palm of our hand
The dance of nothing and everything begins
In the heart of the cosmos, a whisper
A call to explore the vast, uncharted inner
Where the journey of the soul never ends
With every breath, a universe is born
In the stillness, a boundless potential
A reminder that in the quintessential
Lies the essence, eternally unsworn
In the embrace of the infinite, we find
The truth of our existence, intertwined
With the mystery of the void, unconfined
A tapestry of creation, beautifully designed
Forget what you know, imagine anew
For in the heart of nothing, we discover what’s true
We are Space Monkey
