NationStates Jolt Archive

I used to think about this when I was little and I still think it's an interesting topic: how do we know that there is anything but just the very instant of the present and that all our memories are illusions? It's a really interesting question if you think about it.

St. Augustine of Hippo talked about this. His assumption was that time does not exist - the past exists only in memory, the future exists only in anticipation, and the present is infinitely divisible into past and future, thus it does not exist.

Therefore, no time.

I used to think about this when I was little and I still think it's an interesting topic: how do we know that there is anything but just the very instant of the present and that all our memories are illusions? It's a really interesting question if you think about it.

Well i have two memories. One is real as the other.
One from Earth life and another from another life cut short against an evil Wizard on his Space ship

I can't remember my old name. I can only remember my best freind Alpha-Beta. I can't emember if she betrayed me or was it just a coincidence the wizard knew where I was. The thought keeps coming back to me again and again... My Father was a lab experiment on the Planet Shonie. He was military experiment I think. My mother fell in love with him ( I assume) and got Pregnant. I was born 9 months later...I believe father died in a conflict.

I had most of his abilities yet I resembled the race of my mother more. I had blue skin with silver eyes and hair. Kinda could tell I wasn't normal.

Increased Reflexes, subtle Strength bonus, and stuff.

When I reached age 18, the planet had become under attack. Shortly after that I was fighting for the feedom of my people. I soon became some sort of hero...but something made me always feel uneasy.
Anyway, my Squadron in the last day of my life had intercepting a com that the Wizard (don't recall name) was in the area.

It was the day we were training for. And anyway to make a long story short I lost. There was no reset button or so I thought.

Ther was a bright light, shining brighter than the sun, above my head. Somone spoke and said I could have another chance. A boy on earth had given up his life to give me this chance in exchange of going to straight to highest kingdom in Heaven. (good deal he got)
I took the offer and than I woke up...or rather "he" or "I" woke up.
I was reportingly had a concussion after falling some 20-30 feet out of a tree at age 12-13.

Anyway: Could be illusions.

yeah life is one long series of NOWs that are becoming the past at an ever quickening rate.

thing is, people seem to always be either living in the past or striving for the future and ignoring the present, which is all we have.

yeah life is one long series of NOWs that are becoming the past at an ever quickening rate.

thing is, people seem to always be either living in the past or striving for the future and ignoring the present, which is all we have.

How can they be living in it if we don't have it to begin with?

I used to think about this when I was little and I still think it's an interesting topic: how do we know that there is anything but just the very instant of the present and that all our memories are illusions? It's a really interesting question if you think about it.


Of course there is more than the present.

There is returning the present when it doesn't fit, only to discover that it was final sale item so you have to go shopping for another present!!!


:D

Besides, the wise man - when confronted by a woman dredging up the past in an argument - doesn't pat her on the head and go "there there dear - that never happened.... it's all an illusion!" Well, not unless he WANTS to have his ass handed to him....

Everything you remember might never have happened. How do you really know? You might have just been put here 20 seconds ago with your memory implanted.

St. Augustine of Hippo talked about this. His assumption was that time does not exist - the past exists only in memory, the future exists only in anticipation, and the present is infinitely divisible into past and future, thus it does not exist.

Therefore, no time.

Infinitely divisible does not mean nonexistent. That guy just didn't know about calculus. My idea is that we may just live in dx seconds.

Everything you remember might never have happened. How do you really know? You might have just been put here 20 seconds ago with your memory implanted.

That still implies a past and future, which is not what I'm saying at all! I'm saying that there's no way of knowing there even is a past or future. If time is a dimension, how do you know you're even moving? Why can't things just stop right here?