In answer to your question, it’s hard to explain. But no, I don’t find it possible to step back again and observe that meta process. I just tried.
And it is definitely a present-tense action.
It may be that it is merely as you say, directing attention to attention, but it doesn’t diminish the free-flow experiential aspect of the exercise, or the intellectual curiosity.
Just to flesh out the experience, if I’m not paying attention to my experience, attention is still wandering all over the place, I’m just “in it” so to speak, and not noticing. When I observe it happening it has a very different quality to it.
Not to get esoteric, but the best way I could describe it is that there seems to be some observing faculty seperate to the usual sense of self. Which might explain why the exercise can’t devolve into an endless paying attention to paying attention to paying attention…
How?! Sometimes I feel a family is a path to more busy-brained activity. Less inclination to actually look what the mind is doing at a given moment. So I’m interested in that. But also logistically, what is a life of poverty for you, and how did you come to achieve it?
In regard to watching the mind, one thing I’ve observed is a little strange, and I was hoping to get other’s experiences.
I like to watch the movement of my attention. Nothing abstract, just to observe where attention is aimed - it takes a mere 30 seconds of watching.
What I’ve noticed, is it moves around, seemingly without my input, and lacking any conscious intent (a concept the blog post makes a point to reclaim).
The light of attention shines throughout the physical scene, but it is sensorily multidimensional. It might move to the pain in my back, or the sound of the frogs, or the mug on my desk, a random memory, or more relevant to the article, the latest arising thought.
I am watching this movement of ‘my’ attention, and yet I seem to be playing no part in the neither the objects of attention, or the movement of attention itself.
This isn’t to say I cannot decide right now to move my hand in front of my face and observe it, but this arising of intention is itself mysterious too.
I have considered. But I only carry a small pocket book (about the size of a passport), and don't intend on carrying tech around. Thanks for the suggestion though!
I use a UBPorts Pinephone as my daily driver. Sometimes I wonder about the security implications of that decision. I imagine there are WAY more vulnerabilities for a phone like mine, compared to iOS/Android. It's buggy enough from a user perspective, let alone a security one. Does anyone have any knowledge or thoughts in this regard?
The comment was a bit snarky (and perhaps paranoid), which is unusual for me.
Back to the tinfoil hats, do you believe communications on Signal can't be accessed by anyone except the two recipients? And why do you believe that?
Admittedly my position comes from a more ignorant place - that surveillance seems to be top priority for government agencies, and our governments decreasingly serve the wellbeing of the people. Pretty shallow I admit, but I can't actually believe that the most popular, privacy-centric chat platform isn't accessible by other parties. That would be absurd wouldn't it? Especially with government-mandated backdoors in everything.
It wouldn't surprise me. No reason why a phone number is needed to use the app, and if people think their messages aren't monitored when using it, they're dreaming. It's not truly e2e encrypted, and I think it is just better than giving that data to the usual suspects (Facebook, Google, etc). That's why I use it, but I'm under no illusion that this free app isn't trying to get my data just as much as any other. Screen recording is a step further than I expected, but not toooo surprising.
Just more generally, I was wondering if people might share their experience of Islam? I'm quite ignorant honestly.
How did you come to find the religion? What impacts (positive and negative) does it have on your life?
One thing which has made me uncertain, is the praising of martyrdom throughout the Quran. How is this aspect reconciled within peaceful societies? I mean no disrespect through this question, and recognise this may not be the best place to ask.
The increasing rate of technological progress worries me sometimes. One upside is the hope that malicious policy just won't be able to keep up with the rate of change.
It seems futile to fight these kinds of things, especially since if something isn't legal, it'll likely get done via some shady method (eg. mass surveillance).
I wonder what an emerging information system would look like where these kinds of policies just wouldn't be relevant. P2P? Turning away from online tech in general?
When the bully comes to the playground, it seems like a good idea to just go play elsewhere.
I'm sure this will become a bigger debate in the future, but I absolutely believe consciousness itself is worth protecting.
We ourselves have just sprung into existence. I should hope that as consciousness of any kind comes online, whichever world they may mind themselves in (earthly or otherwise), there is a compassion for the existence of the other.
I often feel fortunate that the extent of human suffering is a relatively short lifespan. If I were to exist in a state of suffering that didn't have such a fixed expiration, well that would be hell.
My understanding of déjà vu is that it applies to the moment you're in aka "it feels like this has happened before". What I'm referring to is a sudden recollection of a moment, which isn't the current one. But the feeling is quite similar to déjà vu, just paired with imagery. I'm struck with a strong image in my mind, and a feeling that "that has happened before".
Hmmm, I believe I have first-hand experience with this. Often as I go about my day, I get sudden flashes of a scene recalled. It feels visceral and real - how I imagine electrodes stimulating the brain might bring forth feelings and memories. They're usually just scenes, with a strong feeling attached.
These "memories" aren't recalled from my life, often it would be impossible for them to be, and yet they feel like mine.
I imagine there's some medical explanation for this, but I've no desire to approach a doctor with such symptoms!
"it's relatively easy to be in a light to medium information dense conversation and still meditate with ease"
This is to my surprise also. As one who has recently taken up this technique of constantly meditating - it all goes out the window immediately in any human interaction. Maybe this is social anxiety, but I'd appreciate any tips that allow you to do this.