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Because now is all there is it takes no time to move from here to there yet I force myself to measure its passage.
Consider; the moment, discrete, standing alone, is all there is yet I perceive moments continuously giving rise to the passage of time. My body is locked into the moment; its very physicality guarantees that it can only be in the moment. My body is constrained by the laws of physics. My mind, however, is relatively boundless, constrained only by the limits of my imagination. The continuous nature of my mind creates the illusion of the "passage" of time. The dual nature of time, discrete and continuous, provides the framework upon which the dual nature of my self, body and mind, is able to exist.
Aikido training allows me to experiment with the nature of my perception of time. Using G. Spencer Brown's observation that I noted in a previous entry:
"In general, a contraction of reference accompanies an expansion of awareness, and an expansion of reference accompanies a contraction of awareness." The Laws of Form by G. Spencer Brown page 10.
I recast it as follows:
In general, a contraction of reference accompanies a slowing of time, and an expansion of reference accompanies an acceleration of time.
In theory, if I could become completely centered, achieve perfect mind/body, time should, as perceived by me, come to a standstill since one point is without dimension and my frame of reference would also be without dimension. That is to say I would have to integrate my mind totally with my one point. As I continue to train I continue to shrink my frame of reference relative to my one point. I can close in on my one point without limit, but never quite get there.
08-07-2008 09:24 AM 