Monday, June 25, 2007

The Thick Moment

While here in France Lisbeth has been practicing 'mindfulness'. This is trying to be in the present moment: just being 'present' to whatever it is that she is doing. She reports varying degrees of success dependent upon the context and whether she is well or run down or stressed.

She was talking to Bob about it and he mentioned something that Nicholas Humphrey calls the "the thick moment of consciousness". This is when one feels oneself "living in the present moment" with all the accompanying sensations of 'being'.

I've mentioned it because I like the name 'thick moment'. (Lisbeth likes it, too.) It's very evocative, don't you think? Are you aware of experiencing any 'thick moments' of consciousness? I'm sure I do. These will be different from yours, of course, because I am a sheep, and the 'quality' of my 'thick moment' will be mine and I suppose that this is my reality and my 'sheep consciousness'.

I was wondering also if, within my 'thick moment of consciousness', I am aware that I am alone (a being in consciousness and nothing more) or, if being in the 'thick moment' means that I can't consider such a concept? Mmm....... It will have to be the latter, I'm sure, because a concept is a concept, and I would bet my woolly jumper that being in the 'thick moment' is concept-less.



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