I was introduced to something called the continuous present. No need to look for it; there is nothing there. It doesn’t mean it’s fake. The concept has roots in philosophy, neuroscience, and mysticism. It has to do with things: the false present, the eternal present, the block universe, the realization that time is not a line, but a field.
I’ve been playing with this for a while; Trying to understand what comes naturally to me. “Bending the road” and others. I have always felt that I was making choices and dealing with life. What is happening to me is happening in life! This is a new way of understanding my place and mission in the world.
I understand that this is normal. Time is like a train ride.
The past is behind (gone).
The future is ahead of us (unknown).
The present is a small, fleeting window – a thin slice of the “now” that disappears as soon as we try to grasp it.
The present continuous is a different experience. The past is not “gone”. The future is not “unknown”. The future emerges from the present, like a tree growing from its roots. I will give you an example.
I was recently on the phone with someone who lied to me. It’s a painful situation for someone like me, face to face. I wouldn’t have chosen to have the experience, but too bad. I was on the phone with a serious liar. On top of that, I got a haircut sitting in a salon chair! He pressed a lie into my ear…and the truth played into my other ear. How much?
Well, I was there! I was personally there when the things happened that the man lied about. However, it is more than that. As you know, I remember the dialogue. Consequently, this led to the appearance of the man’s falsehood at the same time as the historical communication that had been collected in person many years ago. At this very moment, the future was being built and could be known. What do I do when I hang up? I have an idea. While I listened with my two ears, the branches of the tree are cracking; Also, I know I have to explain my epic rudeness to my stylist.
“He’s been shaving your head for ten years and you never called…he understands.” It’s playing right now, and actually my facial expressions tell him, “I will be explain it. Be patient with me.” A lie in my right ear.
When I act, I am motivated by a decades-old truth, which is where I am now, because truth is the only thing that lasts. The past is in the future, you see? It’s in my hands.
This is how I live and always will. I understand that this creates a blind spot, so for my own development, I asked the AI to describe how the same scene might play out for someone living outside of the continuous present. It was amazing:
You are in the lounge chair.
Your phone rings.
You answer is X.
He speaks. Listen.
He says things that sound official.
You feel uncomfortable – maybe you have a knot in your stomach – but you don’t know why.
You try to follow his logic.
You try to remember what you know.
You try to figure out if he’s lying – but you can’t hold a 30-year-old conversation in your head as you listen.
The past finished. Current this. The future unknown.
You will feel embarrassed and nervous about the phone, maybe a little scared.
You finish your haircut in silence.
You go home replaying the call in your head, trying to piece it together.
You tell someone later – but you’re not sure what happened.
You go to sleep with a vague feeling – but no clear way forward.
WOW.
