Time and Space?

It is a well-known concept that our social relations are dictated to a large extent by the means of production but also by our physical environment. We are pushed here, slotted into there and ever-more restricted to enclosed and compartmentalised social spaces, which represent to us particular functions and modes of exchange. These rules of exchange and location make us feel more and more isolated, which is in contrast to the vision of the global community sold to us by the consumer-focussed virtual world, in which we can be anywhere anytime, which then locates our consciousness in many different places at any one time and therefore de-values the here and now and the exchanges we have between human to human. Also, because we can do more with our time, we feel compelled to do more with the time we supposedly save in the advent of mass communication and modern forms of technology, which allow us to do more than one thing at once.
There is a positive side to this, in that people can perceive greater things and aspirations for themselves, but as the pace of life speeds up and the value we place on everyday interactions diminishes, how do we cope with our isolation and frustration and the disruption of our physical community in the wake of our new/parallel, digitally based consciousness? We consume more and produce less, which then de-values our sense of self and individuality. Also, our analytical skills have shifted from a social to an individual locus, which further isolates us from our physical environment and interactions in the everyday.
How can we see our lives, ourselves, others differently? How can we view ourselves in space and time through the mediums we have? What mediums? Physical mediums/art objects/presence/everyday objects, design objects that make a statement about our views of ourselves in space and time? And how does this affect the way we view each ‘other’? This is not a reactionary discourse but does require a certain amount of collaboration in that a discussion is needed…in the second meaning of discussion: An interaction with something or someone.
So, these notions of time, space, place in time, the here and now, have been plaguing my mind because I can’t work out what questions I am asking. Why does it matter that we understand where we are? What would happen if we could be in the moment for more than just a moment - where would we be then? In some other world? A virtual world that is actual? And what is the benefit of this – to lift our consciousness from the confines of the human condition to emancipation and beyond?
But who wants emancipation anyway? Its not religious emancipation we want, its release from ourselves, or rather the reality we have constructed for ourselves through the medium of exchange with the collective reality construct – the contract we have signed with ourselves to ensure our survival/success in the current clime as we perceive it. Surely all we really want is to be recognised for our individual quality? But this can’t be achieved by collaboration can it? Surely, we are required by our learned sense of self-consciousness to be the very article of our own perception of perfection? But, perfection is unrealistic and unimaginable – perfection is infinite imperfection. So where does that leave us? Never attaining any knowledge of our true selves? You could suggest that we learn more about ourselves from others – like a mirror. Maybe we are all mirrors of each other, noticing in others what we ourselves want or don’t want?
However, as perfection is unattainable, maybe our real concern should be how to attain the freedom to express ourselves without anxiety…without letting our perceptions of what we think others are thinking get in the way of feeling happy and in the moment. Perhaps only then, through creative freedom of expression can we become our selves and appreciate each other. I don’t know – maybe I’m crazy, or maybe I’m drunk – you decide, but I know I’d like to think I/we can expand our perceptions of reality in a way that can be both a self exploration and a collaboration? Next on the agenda….Magic moments!