The Present Is The Most Pleasant Construction
February 26th 2010 15:42
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I believe that although the future and the past are places I sometimes I wish I could time travel to (the future in particular) more than a bit, it takes a special dedication to living the present to realise that all these versions of moments outside of the very current are only able to be generated in the now, and so all I really want to do at the end of the day is to maximise the potential of the present.
Does all overemphasis on the past or future stem from a reluctance to grapple with the present?
I sometimes wish that I hadn't grown up in a world where marriage equality is unrealised. However, there will always be injustice (as long as there is justice) in the world.
What do I really want for myself? Does it bother me that I can't visualise a future where marriage equality has happened to Australia? What should I be using my imagination for? Would it be escapist of me to daydream about a society where homophobia is a thing of the past? Are my mental and emotional energies better directed to fighting the existing homophobia?
The problem with imagining the past or future is that I extricate from these constructions the complexity of any society which must be 'current' - I don't want to imagine, for example, how clubs and societies based on old-fashioned heteronormativity still carve out a niche for themselves, much like the neo-Nazi movement garners enough mentions today for us to know that it's still a relevant force. The past is idealised or the future is perfect. Would I feel comfortable with giving the present the same treatment?
But here's the thing - even despite my awareness of the complexity of the moment, I still long for an escape from the tireless probing and relentless questioning sometimes. But isn't running out of questions its own problem? Aren't questions the way?
How can I make my present the most lucrative experience I could ever hope to appreciate?
Marriage equality is a state of mind... racism-free society is a mental disposition... equality for women exists, in patches - and if those patches are big and/or numerous enough to cover most of your psyche, then aren't you living in a perfect world?
Reality is a state of mind.
Does all overemphasis on the past or future stem from a reluctance to grapple with the present?
I sometimes wish that I hadn't grown up in a world where marriage equality is unrealised. However, there will always be injustice (as long as there is justice) in the world.
The problem with imagining the past or future is that I extricate from these constructions the complexity of any society which must be 'current' - I don't want to imagine, for example, how clubs and societies based on old-fashioned heteronormativity still carve out a niche for themselves, much like the neo-Nazi movement garners enough mentions today for us to know that it's still a relevant force. The past is idealised or the future is perfect. Would I feel comfortable with giving the present the same treatment?
But here's the thing - even despite my awareness of the complexity of the moment, I still long for an escape from the tireless probing and relentless questioning sometimes. But isn't running out of questions its own problem? Aren't questions the way?
How can I make my present the most lucrative experience I could ever hope to appreciate?
Marriage equality is a state of mind... racism-free society is a mental disposition... equality for women exists, in patches - and if those patches are big and/or numerous enough to cover most of your psyche, then aren't you living in a perfect world?
Reality is a state of mind.
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