* Now Defined * in Just Stuff

Think about the concept of “now.” Try to define it as precisely as possible
with a sentence or two. Take a few minutes to do this.

Only read the following AFTER you have defined the word “now.”

Done?

Okay. Consider this aspect about time–that it is said to “pass,” and that
this is known to happen when two events are separately noted as not being
simultaneous. If you start counting aloud, you KNOW that time passes
between the spoken words “one,” “two,” etc. No matter how fast you count,
you still KNOW that some time passed between the utterances. Next, consider
that any two thoughts that you have “in a row” are two mental events and
that you KNOW that time passes between the two thoughts. Also note that you
do not “seem” to have the ability to have two thoughts simultaneously.

Try it first by counting aloud and then just mentally to experience these
short “pieces” of time.

Now, consider that objects are actually events or sets of events. In fact,
modern science assures us that all the particles of matter that compose
anything are in constant motion. It is said that everything is
ephemeral–exactly like a figure eight made by the fast moving of a
flashlight’s spot on a wall. It may seem that the “eight” is there, but in
actuality it is a series of images being reported to our brains in rapid
succession. The essential nature of the figure eight is that of a spot of
light, and when it is photographed by a very fast camera, amazingly, not a
single quality of “eightness” will be seen in the photograph.

Just so, all objects, if viewed from a perceptual standpoint that is
precisely “now” will seem to have NONE of the qualities that they have “over
time.” In fact, logically speaking, the figure eight AND ALL objects do NOT
EXIST when solely seen in the “instantaneous now.”

Finally consider the fact that, despite all of the above, you feel yourself
to be here and now.

Read the above a few times. Run it through your nervous system to let it “soak into” your definitions and concepts about ALL THIS and YOU.

After you’ve reread the above, then read the below questions-

Ask yourself:

What am I when seen by a super-fast “camera” that captures “me” between
thoughts? (Super-fast camera could also be expressed as the “instantaneously perceptions by the mind of God.”) What am I believing
myself to be over time that is simply not the case NOW?

Are my thoughts “time-bound?” Does each one of them take time? Is each
thought a SERIES of smaller chemical events? What is it like to experience
a thought NOW?

How can I KNOW that time passes without also having the ability to be there
when it doesn’t pass? Can time pass without me knowing it?

Am I beyond time? Is time itself an object that I, from some
transcendental standpoint, observe? If I “am” “now,” am I not beyond time?

If I use my eyes to see a scene with many objects in it, and I recognize
that my view contains many objects, am I having many “thoughts” at once?
Can I actually be aware of the existence of multiple objects simultaneously?
Would this be possible if my awareness was not in the NOW?

What part of me insists that I am a series of events (thoughts, emotions,
memories, sensations, perceptions, etc.) when I am so clearly existing
IN-BETWEEN thoughts too? Is that part of me necessary? Do I have to be a “time-bound” “thing?”

Am I a single point of consciousness that “illuminates” ALL THIS with a
fast moving spotlight of awareness? How would I go about experiencing my
awareness “in action?” Can I “take the flashlight” in my own “hands” and
make my own figure eights? Am I, in fact, doing that ALL THE TIME,
right now?

Why do I believe in the sound of trees as they fall in forests?

Regards,
Rick