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@qurlyjoe@mstdn.social
2026-09-06 02:45:01

Time and Self are inextricably linked
In Search of Now, by Jo Marchant
P.188-9
What, when, where, why, and how is “Now” a thing?
I’ve thought and read a lot about how our minds work, what they are, why they’re necessary, are they necessary? And still Marchant manages to explode my understanding of it all. #recommended

Our reflective sense of identity ultimately comes from an awareness of ourselves as a distinct entity that persists, that is more than just the actions and responses of this moment, here and now. We weave ourselves from the stream of time by holding on to the threads of memories and plans, projecting forwards and backwards along our life path. If Now is a point of view, this weaving of time is what distinguishes us from our environment, what creates our point of view.
This ability to transcend the present moment is a gift: it’s what enables us to weigh up different choices and possible futures; what frees us from mindless responses (or from the inevitability of the past) in how we perceive and act. […] while we’re interacting fluidly with our immediate physical environment, we’re also able to balance medium-term and long-term outcomes, to select courses of action that will best maintain and protect our self-identity over time.