The elusive nature of presence in the present
The concept of presence, of being truly in the moment, is one that has captivated philosophers, psychologists, and spiritual leaders for centuries. It is the ideal state of mindfulness where one is fully absorbed in the ‘now’, not distracted by the past or the future. Yet, despite its desirability, this state of being wholly present may be an unattainable ideal due to the intrinsic nature of human consciousness. Human beings can never truly be present, but they can get close enough to perhaps being present.
To understand this conundrum, we must delve into the mechanisms of awareness and the temporal structure of our experiences. Awareness, by definition, is the knowledge or perception of a situation or fact. However, this awareness does not come instantaneously. There is a minuscule, almost imperceptible, lag between the occurrence of an event and our conscious recognition of that event. This delay is due to the time it takes for our sensory organs to process stimuli and for our brains to interpret these signals. Furthermore, forming a conscious response to any event requires reflection, which by its very nature relies on past knowledge to process and understand new information.
This latency in awareness suggests that our actions are always slightly ahead of our conscious thought. When we reach out to catch a falling glass, our hand moves before we have fully processed what is happening. The action is initiated by our subconscious, and our conscious mind catches up as the event unfolds. This implies that there is an inherent delay in our experience of the present moment; we are always reacting to stimuli that have already occurred, and our awareness of our actions comes after the fact.
Moreover, our psychological makeup contributes to this temporal dissonance. Human beings have a tendency to dwell on the past and anticipate the future. Memories and experiences shape our expectations and influence our actions, while our plans and anxieties about what is yet to come affect our mental state in the current moment. This preoccupation with temporal dimensions beyond the immediate present means that even when we try to focus on the ‘now’, our minds are often clouded by thoughts that anchor us to other points in time.
The narrative structure of consciousness further complicates our ability to be present. We are storytelling creatures, and our minds are continuously weaving the threads of our experiences into coherent narratives. These stories are constructed retrospectively, meaning we understand our actions within the context of a narrative only after they have been completed. This process of reflection and narrative building takes us out of the present moment and into a realm of interpretation and abstraction.
Despite these challenges, the pursuit of presence remains a valuable endeavour. Practices such as mindfulness meditation aim to narrow the gap between action and awareness, training the mind to observe the present moment without judgment or distraction. While the ideal of perfect presence may be theoretically unattainable, these practices can help us come closer to experiencing the present as fully as possible.
In all honesty, the very nature of human consciousness suggests that we cannot ever be entirely present in the present. The lag between stimulus and awareness, our psychological predisposition to reflect upon the past and anticipate the future, and the narrative structure of our consciousness all place us a step behind our actions. Although we may strive for presence, we must acknowledge that being fully in the moment is a horizon we approach but can never quite reach. This understanding need not be disheartening; instead, it can motivate us to continually strive for greater mindfulness and appreciation of the now, despite the ever-present gap between our actions and our awareness of them.
There is also a very important conundrum if we assume the above. We are somehow captives of our past dwelling on the future. Our past dictates how our genes are expressed from generations ago, and our more immediate past that experienced in our own lifetimes can dictate how we will respond to events in the future as well as to how we will anticipate that future.
With our children we owe them the best chance of success. I think we all inherently understand this as parents. Which is why time is spent to give them the best chance in life. But all we have to do, is be there, listen and I guess challenge our own demons. In the same way as adults we try to change, any child that has gone through trauma and hardship can change too. With the right guidance, change can be for the better.
References:
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Dehaene S, Naccache L. Towards a cognitive neuroscience of consciousness: basic evidence and a workspace framework. Cognition. 2001;79(1-2):1-37.
Tooby J, Cosmides L. The psychological foundations of culture. In: Barkow J, Cosmides L, Tooby J, editors. The adapted mind: Evolutionary psychology and the generation of culture. Oxford: Oxford University Press; 1992. P. 19-136.
LeDoux J. The Emotional Brain: The Mysterious Underpinnings of Emotional Life. New York: Simon & Schuster; 1996.
