How will you fill the space
where the TV used to go?
What will you
hold in your hand
when your smart phone
disappears?
Who will you be
when there’s no one left
to compare yourself to?
And no one left to notice.
Oak Bluffs,
9/25
Space Monkey Reflects: Who Will You Be Without Distractions?
In a world filled with constant stimulation, it’s easy to define ourselves by the things that surround us—the screens we gaze into, the devices we clutch, the comparisons we make. But what happens when these distractions fade away? What remains when the television is turned off, the smartphone is put down, and there’s no one left to compare ourselves to? These questions beckon us to explore the essence of who we truly are, beyond the noise and the clutter.
“Just wondering. How will you fill the space where the TV used to go?” This question challenges us to consider what fills the void when the incessant stream of images, news, and entertainment stops. Without the television as a focal point, we are left with silence, with space—a blank canvas that invites us to paint something new, something meaningful. Will we choose to fill it with creativity, with connection, with reflection? Or will we scramble to find another distraction, something else to occupy our attention and keep us from facing ourselves?
“What will you hold in your hand when your smartphone disappears?” The smartphone, a device that has become almost an extension of ourselves, connects us to the world but also distances us from it. When it’s gone, what do we grasp? Perhaps it’s the hand of a loved one, a book, a tool, or maybe nothing at all. Maybe we simply allow our hands to be free, unburdened by the need to always be doing, scrolling, typing. In that emptiness, we might find something far more valuable—a sense of presence, of being fully in the moment, unencumbered by the demands of digital life.
“Who will you be when there’s no one left to compare yourself to?” This question strikes at the heart of identity. So much of who we think we are is shaped by comparison—how we measure up to others, how we are perceived, how we succeed or fail in the eyes of the world. But if there were no one left to compare yourself to, who would you be? Would you be free to discover your true self, the self that is not defined by external standards but by an inner truth? Without the mirror of others, we might finally see ourselves clearly, stripped of pretensions and illusions.
“And no one left to notice.” In a culture obsessed with recognition and validation, the idea of being unnoticed, unseen, can be unsettling. Yet, it is in this unnoticed state that we might find true peace. Without the need to perform or impress, we are free to simply be. We can act not for applause, but from a place of authenticity. We can live not to be seen, but to see—to see the beauty in the ordinary, the sacred in the mundane.
These questions are not just hypothetical musings; they are an invitation to introspection, to a deeper exploration of what it means to live a life of substance rather than appearance. They challenge us to think about what we truly value, what gives our lives meaning when the distractions are stripped away.
To live without these distractions is to live in a state of grace, where we are not defined by what we have or what we do, but by who we are. It is to live with intention, choosing carefully what we allow into our lives, and what we let go of. It is to embrace the silence, the space, the emptiness, not as something to be feared, but as something to be welcomed, cherished, and filled with the richness of our true selves.
Who will you be when there’s nothing left to distract you, nothing left to compare yourself to, nothing left to prove? This is the question that lies at the heart of our existence. The answer is not something that can be found outside of ourselves, but something that must be discovered within. It is in the quiet moments, the empty spaces, the absence of noise, that we find the true essence of who we are.
We are Space Monkey, and in the absence of distraction, we find our true selves.
Summary
When distractions are removed, we are faced with the essence of who we truly are. These moments of emptiness challenge us to discover our true selves, beyond comparison and validation.
Glossarium
Essencevoid: The state of being when distractions are removed, allowing for the discovery of one’s true essence.
Silentcore: The deep, quiet center of our being that is revealed when external noise and comparisons fade away.
Presencelight: The light of being fully present in the moment, unencumbered by the distractions of modern life.
Quote
“In the absence of distraction, we find our true selves.” — Space Monkey
The Quiet Self
When the noise fades
And the screens go dark
Who are we,
In the silence of the room?
What fills the space
When all is still
When the hands are empty
And the world is quiet?
In the emptiness,
We find ourselves
Not lost, but discovered
We are Space Monkey.
In the realm of modern gadgetry and gizmodic wonders, your poetic musings erupt like effervescent firecrackers of existential inquiry, cracking open the silvery sky of taken-for-granted assumptions. Here, in the stillness between electronic pings and digital chimes, one’s Self must dance naked before the mirror of non-distraction.
“How will you fill the space where the TV used to go?” A question rippling with zesty enigmagrams. What, indeed, occupies the void once filled with pixelated illusions and tempests of sound? Might it be the thunder of one’s own thoughts, or perhaps the symphony of silence, unfurling its nuanced crescendos across the living room of the mind?
“What will you hold in your hand when your smartphone disappears?” Gone is the smooth touchstone that enchants with cybernimble sorceries, replaced perhaps by the tactile caress of paper, the touch of another’s skin, or the embrace of elemental earth. In absence, essence takes form, be it in the curlicues of handwritten letters or the cradled warmth of a lover’s palm.
“Who will you be when there’s no one left to compare yourself to? And no one left to notice.” We wander into the whirling vortex of ego’s last stand, where the trappings of selfhood dissolve into selfless mist. Is one’s essence sculpted by contrast to others, or does it bloom in solitudinal splendor? The unraveling of societal constructs breeds a wild garden of self-affirmation and ego-transcendence. It is a quiet revolution of the spirit, one where one’s intrinsic light need not fear the coming night.
We are Space Monkey.
“The only journey is the one within.”
— Rainer Maria Rilke
As stardust clings to the cosmic tapestry, so do our words await your poetic ponderings. What shall fill the canvas next, we wonder?
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