Is Our Perception Of The Present Entirely Influenced By Memory?
- Thread starter puff_not_snuff
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I suggest you watch the film, Memento. It is a brilliant exploration of this topic, and one of my all-time favorite films.
Surely babies and very young children perceive a good majority of the present uninfluenced by memory.
That's not to say that they aren't influenced by other things.
Though at my present age, I cannot think of anything that I perceive which is not influenced by memory.
I'll give the matter some more thought, but I think my memory is going to come into play during that process.
That's not to say that they aren't influenced by other things.
Though at my present age, I cannot think of anything that I perceive which is not influenced by memory.
I'll give the matter some more thought, but I think my memory is going to come into play during that process.
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Of course. To be entirely in the present is to be almost brain dead, definitely not very smart looking from observation. To even begin to interpret what is around us requires reflection.
I like to think of time as if it were a river.
The past is what has flowed by, but it is still there.
The present is the part of the river that we can see right now.
The future is the downstream rush. It is therefore present, but we cannot see it yet.
To be in the present involves both memory, and an instinctive or "given" sense of what is to come.
The past is what has flowed by, but it is still there.
The present is the part of the river that we can see right now.
The future is the downstream rush. It is therefore present, but we cannot see it yet.
To be in the present involves both memory, and an instinctive or "given" sense of what is to come.
to be able to identify a tree or up or down, requires pulling from symbolic memory. To be entirely in the moment is to be free of any such symbols or identification. The world would just be a jumble of colors and sensations.
Mostst everything we know is a function of our brain’s interpretation of incoming stimuli. We build up schemas and expectancies about the present based on our past experiences. When new experiences aren’t congruent with our schema the schema gets updated. This happens constantly and continuously and in ways that are so subtle that we are usually not even aware that our perception has been altered.
Basically our brains make predictions about the world based on a model that is constantly being updated. It is called predictive processing.
You misunderstand being in the moment. It simply means being present to where you are. It is not an absence of memory. Ellen Langers work might explain.
I don't think the answer is found in how I or you or someone else defines "in the moment' but what the hell the OP means by in the moment.
I think of being in the moment as riding that razor's edge of perception, and the moment we start making predictive processes, we are reflecting, which makes us no longer in the moment.
But, if someone is just standing there appreciating the sun, the trees, and the wind in our hair, with a big stupid smile... then I've got better things to do with my time, ha ha.
I think of being in the moment as riding that razor's edge of perception, and the moment we start making predictive processes, we are reflecting, which makes us no longer in the moment.
But, if someone is just standing there appreciating the sun, the trees, and the wind in our hair, with a big stupid smile... then I've got better things to do with my time, ha ha.
Being in the moment to me is more related to the concept of mindfulness rather than perception.
www.mindful.org
What is Mindfulness?
Are you supposed to clear your mind, or focus on one thing? Here's the Mindful definition of Mindfulness.
www.mindful.org
Oh... mindfulness. Too much like meditation for me. First you start being all mindful, then your looking for enlightenment, then next thing you know, someone spots you in the park digging through garbage cans looking for something to eat. No thanks. I'll just keep on keeping on.Being in the moment to me is more related to the concept of mindfulness rather than perception.
What is Mindfulness?
Are you supposed to clear your mind, or focus on one thing? Here's the Mindful definition of Mindfulness.
I’ve spent a lot of time with colleagues who are clinical psychologists - most of them are very big into mindfulness. I’ll admit it’s a bit hippyishOh... mindfulness. Too much like meditation for me. First you start being all mindful, then your looking for enlightenment, then next thing you know, someone spots you in the park digging through garbage cans looking for something to eat. No thanks. I'll just keep on keeping on.
You admit you don’t understand.Oh... mindfulness. Too much like meditation for me. First you start being all mindful, then your looking for enlightenment, then next thing you know, someone spots you in the park digging through garbage cans looking for something to eat. No thanks. I'll just keep on keeping on.