All of the above, all at once, never ending. If it’s not physical pain, its sensory pain. Everything hurts, all of the time. Not some of the time or once in a blue moon, all of the time. Over time, galaxies will sink into darkness and solitude, and the universe may become an empty space filled only with dark energy, causing exponential expansion. The existential HORROR that is existence itself and consciousness itself is what and is the only thing that actually scares me. Everything else is bullshit (laughing out loud). Existential horror often revolves around the profound realization of the individual's insignificance in the vastness of the universe. In this context, the concept of ‘NOW’ can be seen as a fleeting moment of existence, a transient blip in the cosmic timeline. The terror arises from the awareness that this momentary ‘NOW’ is all we have, and it is constantly slipping away into the abyss of the past, never to be reclaimed but we often revisit via our memory of it, which can also not be correct all of the time. Can we even depend on our memory of the past as it actually happened?

Einstein's Theory of Special Relativity:
Published, scientific journal Annalen der Physik (Annals of Physics), June 1905.

It's all about the present moment, or is it? Is 'now' just some big cosmic joke? Einstein's theory of special relativity is all about the reality of time. It's all about the question whether the present moment, this 'now,' which we experience ourselves, whether this is of fundamental importance. Einstein's Theory of Special Relativity introduces a fascinating dimension to the concept of ‘now’ by revealing the relativity of time. According to Einstein's theory, time is not absolute, but is instead relative to the observer's frame of reference and the speed at which they are moving. In this context, the experience of ‘now’ becomes subjective and dependent on one's position and velocity in spacetime. Nihilism says it has no fundamental importance, nor does anything have fundamental importance. Nihilism, on the other hand, challenges the inherent meaning and value attributed to existence. From a nihilistic perspective, the concept of ‘now’ may be viewed as devoid of any ‘real significance.’ It is merely a temporary state in a universe devoid of ultimate purpose or meaning. This nihilistic interpretation of ‘now’ can evoke a sense of existentialism.

Resistance is FUTILE…

The impossibility to define one notion of 'now' that we all agree on. ‘NOW’ as in the moment of time that happens right 'now.' Not say, when the light of an object actually hits your eyes. It would be like getting shot and as you fall down from being shot you then hear the sound. The bullet is traveling faster than the sound it created when fired. The moment the bullet is fired is the actual moment of ‘NOW’ from the bullet’s point of view. This phenomena is super important because it tells us that fundamentally this experience of ‘NOW’ that we all share is meaningless. I spend a lot of energy thinking about time, consciousness, how humans fit into it all. How our human consciousness is bound by the flow of time in one direction, but change the variable of the human experience and that perspective shifts. The frame of reference shifts… In our current understanding of science there are only two forces in the universe that morph, effect the flow of time. One is the supermassive gravity of a black hole and the second is speed. The faster you travel or come closer to the speed of light, the flow of time outside of that point of view slows down to the observer. We know this as ‘time dilation.’

The concept of ‘NOW’ in philosophical terms intersects with existential horror, nihilism, and Einstein's Theory of Special Relativity in intriguing ways. Bringing these perspectives together, the concept of ‘NOW’ becomes a paradoxical blend of existential horror, nihilistic indifference, and relativistic subjectivity. It is simultaneously a fleeting moment of existential dread, a void of meaninglessness, and a relativistic illusion shaped by our individual perspectives and experiences. The philosophical exploration of ‘NOW’ forces us to confront the temporary nature of existence, the absence of inherent meaning, and the subjective nature of our perception of time. It invites us to grapple with the existential anxiety of our fleeting existence while acknowledging the profound implications of relativity on our understanding of reality.

All of that, has brought me to this thinking that human consciousness is absolutely something more than what we currently understand. Not even religion can explain this in proper context. It tries though, damn does it ever. Ah, behold the grand spectacle of the universe, that vast landfill of existence. Rumor-Control says, it exists even when we're not looking. Mind-blowing, right? Probably exists... or maybe not, who/what am I to say? Humans, those remarkable trash-bags, have this nifty little organic app called "the brain" that we hardly ever use anymore. It's a miracle of biology. It does this fantastic job of snatching up information from the outside world, churning it around, and POW! It conjures up an image of what's happening beyond your cranium.

Ala, REALITY…

I mean, it's practically magic, but with neurons and synapses and other things that pop in and out of reality at random. The next big question is –is reality even real???

Now
by Alan Smithee
4/19/2024
893 Words