2010.02.24 19:00 - Awareness

The Guardian for this meeting was stevenaia Michinaga. The comments are by stevenaia Michinaga.

Reflection Freenote, Widget Whiteberry and I began the evening, I never met Reflection so we chatted about his coming to PaB which led to our topic.

stevenaia Michinaga: hello Widget
Widget Whiteberry: good evening
--BELL--
stevenaia Michinaga: hello Reflection
Reflection Freenote: hello folks
Widget Whiteberry: ☆smiles☆
stevenaia Michinaga: I am sorry, I thought I heard the 90 second gong, was waiting for the time to pass
Widget Whiteberry: ☆smiles☆
stevenaia Michinaga: have you been here before Reflection?
Reflection Freenote: yes, I have, on one occasion
stevenaia Michinaga: welcome back
Reflection Freenote: ty:)
Widget Whiteberry: I am sitting here 'collecting myself'
stevenaia Michinaga: feel free, an interesting phase, what are you collecting?
Widget Whiteberry: hmm
Widget Whiteberry: a long time sl friend is in the hospital
Widget Whiteberry: today, I feel the danger he is in
Widget Whiteberry: other friends are out of touch
Widget Whiteberry: I feel their absense
Widget Whiteberry: absence
stevenaia Michinaga: those are deep feelings
Widget Whiteberry nods
Reflection Freenote: sorry widg
Widget Whiteberry nods
Widget Whiteberry: these are saddening things
stevenaia Michinaga: Take my good wishes for them
stevenaia Michinaga: and you
Widget Whiteberry: I'm letting myself feel them
Widget Whiteberry: ty both
Widget Whiteberry: these are SL friendships
Widget Whiteberry: they feel no different to me than 1st Life friendships
stevenaia Michinaga: some of my deepest friendships are online, sl and other internet meeting places
Widget Whiteberry nods
stevenaia Michinaga: people I have never met in RL
Reflection Freenote: yes, it does seem at times of trouble that we are less immediately available to our SL friends
Reflection Freenote: the flip side of the ease of making such close friends, at such great distances
Widget Whiteberry: Chris is less available because he is unconscious... I'm grateful to be connected to him through his wife ... on facebook
Widget Whiteberry: so I read the daily update
Widget Whiteberry: I hope the 3 of us will be face to face one day
Widget Whiteberry: Others though, when they are absent
Widget Whiteberry: there is no way to know how they are
stevenaia Michinaga: this place makes distance irrelevant, until you wish to meet, ofcourse
Widget Whiteberry: whether they are well
Widget Whiteberry: in those moments - where there is pain or danger or illness
Widget Whiteberry: the distance, the firewall
Widget Whiteberry: is excruciating
Reflection Freenote: yes, you can't give your friend a lift to the Emergency Room
Widget Whiteberry: or bring chicken soup
Widget Whiteberry: ☆smiles☆
stevenaia Michinaga: yes, you can still be "touched" deeply here
Widget Whiteberry: to his family
Reflection Freenote: and of course, if someone just drops out, sometimes there is no way of knowing what has happened, unless you have made RL connections
stevenaia Michinaga: you can still offer comfort
stevenaia Michinaga: and understanding
Widget Whiteberry: hmm, yes
Widget Whiteberry: we can talk of other things
stevenaia Michinaga: ofcourse
--BELL--

I began a new subject per Widget's prompt.

stevenaia Michinaga: So Reflection, what brought you to this group?
stevenaia Michinaga: :)
Reflection Freenote: the last time I was here, there was an interesting discussion
Reflection Freenote: also a friend of mine is highly involved, Yakuza
Widget Whiteberry: what interested you. Reflection?
Widget Whiteberry: Yakuza, yes
stevenaia Michinaga: aww, yes
Reflection Freenote: I can't remember the topic at the moment steve
Reflection Freenote: something to do with awareness, perhaps
stevenaia Michinaga: yes, there is always awareness
Reflection Freenote: actually, I think awareness is fairly rare;-)
Widget Whiteberry: ^^
Widget Whiteberry: well, there are degrees of awareness, right?
Widget Whiteberry: at least for me
stevenaia Michinaga: I always see what Wikipedia says about such things
stevenaia Michinaga: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Awareness
Reflection Freenote: yes, I am using the buddhist definition of awareness, so different than say, consciousness
Widget Whiteberry: how are they different?
stevenaia Michinaga: can you explain (not being a Buddhist)
Reflection Freenote: a being can be conscious, which is to be awake and aware of stimuli and thoughts and feelings
Widget Whiteberry nods
Reflection Freenote: but to be aware in the buddhist sense, is to be aware of reality as it is, and so beyond or beneath the categories of perception which our brains and our cultures insist upon
Widget Whiteberry: hmm, cognitive scientists tell us that 95% or so of what the mind does is not accessible to conscious thought
stevenaia Michinaga: so not simple of awareness of things, but an awareness about things
Widget Whiteberry: if 5% is available, perhaps awareness covers the 5%
Widget Whiteberry: and most of us are nowhere near that
Reflection Freenote: the awareness I'm discussing is certainly about putting in abeyance most of the primary dimensions of conscious thought which we typically rely on
Reflection Freenote: so for example to be aware is always to be in the present, in this sense, as all thought about future and past is fantasy, rather than reality (for example)
stevenaia Michinaga: not as in reality because that is more than the "moment?
Widget Whiteberry: to be in the present absent 'most of the primary dimensions of conscious thought which we typically rely on'?
Widget Whiteberry: seems contradictory
Reflection Freenote: most of our conscious thought is not about what is present, for example, is what I am suggesting widget, although this is only one dimension of unreality
Reflection Freenote: I don't know that reality is more than the present steve, although that is truly murky. That is whether "time" has any fundamental reality to it, is a topic of some debate in theoretical physics, I believe
--BELL--
stevenaia Michinaga: I must be sleepy, I had a nap-like dream just then and you were in to speaking , Reflection
stevenaia Michinaga: :)
Reflection Freenote: so, widget all the conceptions of reality which I entertain in the moment of reality, are themselves concepts, rather than realities (although they may point meaningfully at reality)
Widget Whiteberry grins
Widget Whiteberry: do you experience those concepts as embodied?
Reflection Freenote: what do you mean widget?
Widget Whiteberry: if you describe them, do they relate to physical experience?
Widget Whiteberry: for instance
Widget Whiteberry: I feel the prospect of death as a cold thing
Widget Whiteberry: I feel the absence of friends whose well being is unknown to me
Widget Whiteberry: as a kind of
Reflection Freenote: I think, generally, if I am describing some physical experience, it is generally likely to be related to something real
Widget Whiteberry: hmm
Widget Whiteberry: physical loss
Widget Whiteberry: an emptiness
Widget Whiteberry: my
Widget Whiteberry: I need to cheer up, don't I
stevenaia Michinaga: smiles
Widget Whiteberry: or at least not cast gloom around
Widget Whiteberry: I could do an eyore impression
Widget Whiteberry: we need Wol here
Widget Whiteberry: and someone to be Pooh and Piglet
stevenaia Michinaga: "eyore impression"?
Reflection Freenote: oh, I imagine steve and I are sturdy enough to withstand the weight widget;-)
Widget Whiteberry: comforting thought, Reflection
stevenaia Michinaga: yes, true
Widget Whiteberry: Eyore is the gloomy, pessimistic donkey in Winnie the Pooh
stevenaia Michinaga: I have been know to pull people out of the depths with a phone call
Widget Whiteberry: a powerful recommendation
Reflection Freenote: I love that depressive robot in the hitch-hiker's guide to the galaxy, sort of an undated Eyore
Widget Whiteberry: hello Benedizione
Benedizione Vita: allo
stevenaia Michinaga: welcome Bene
stevenaia Michinaga: hell Agent, have you been here before?
Agent Madeye: no
stevenaia Michinaga: let we welcome you to our group
Agent Madeye: hello every1
Agent Madeye: can i use voice
Widget Whiteberry: come sit with us by the pool
stevenaia Michinaga: we record our conversations and post them on the groups wiki, is it ok to include you?
Agent Madeye: ok
stevenaia Michinaga: I gave you an introduction to our group
stevenaia Michinaga: we generally do not use voice (difficult to post voice to the wiki)
stevenaia Michinaga: we come here 4 times a day to discuss the nature of reality
Agent Madeye: ooooooo very interesting
Agent Madeye: i am not an intellectual
stevenaia Michinaga: it has kept us engaged for the past few years, you will fit in just fine and that case
stevenaia Michinaga: *in
stevenaia Michinaga: much of what we do is listen
stevenaia Michinaga: how did you find us, Agent
Agent Madeye: i dont know
stevenaia Michinaga: then it must have been meant to be
--BELL--
Benedizione Vita: Agent, it is time for you to take the oath and join the cult. Please begin by IMing me your RL bank account number
Agent Madeye: ha
stevenaia Michinaga: hehe, that only work on intellectuals
Benedizione Vita: I'm still waiting on yours, Steve, the last one you gave me wasn't real ;)
Agent Madeye: right lol
Benedizione Vita: please pardon my hijinx--welcome, agent :)
Agent Madeye: ty
Widget Whiteberry sits quietly waiting for someone to break down and provide acct numbers
Benedizione Vita: incidentally, I have discovered it is possible to sit on the torches
stevenaia Michinaga: hopes Bene does not have gas
Reflection Freenote: OK, OK, OK I give, uncle!! 852024059485039482\
Benedizione Vita: I hope that is your account balance, Reflection
Widget Whiteberry grins
stevenaia Michinaga: there was talk of a "tip jar", this is so much more efficient
Widget Whiteberry: hee
Benedizione Vita: onigokko
Benedizione Vita: ssstop
Benedizione Vita: stop
Agent Madeye: cute
Agent Madeye: lol
stevenaia Michinaga: thanks bene, my legs were falling asleep
Benedizione Vita: pleasure, steve
Benedizione Vita: :)
Widget Whiteberry: ok, pls do that again
Widget Whiteberry: I'm wearing it
stevenaia Michinaga: pls wear this
Widget Whiteberry: and stand
Benedizione Vita: I have it steve :)
Benedizione Vita: onigokko
Benedizione Vita: stop
Widget Whiteberry: it doesn't like sits as well
stevenaia Michinaga: nods, now you have another :)
Benedizione Vita: haha thank you sir ;)
stevenaia Michinaga: onigokko
stevenaia Michinaga: stop
Benedizione Vita: oohp, you caught me
Benedizione Vita: I was faking
Benedizione Vita: hahahaha
stevenaia Michinaga: you do that well
stevenaia Michinaga: /hide
Benedizione Vita: what just happened
stevenaia Michinaga: now my feet won;t get wet
stevenaia Michinaga: :)
Widget Whiteberry: uh oh
Benedizione Vita: well, I'd best be off
Benedizione Vita: happy pab, all
stevenaia Michinaga: see you soon Bene
stevenaia Michinaga: is there anything we can do Widget to cheer you up
Widget Whiteberry: I'll be better after I sleep
Widget Whiteberry: but thank you
Widget Whiteberry: strange not to have the pool here
Reflection Freenote: it might even be ok to worry about a close friend who is ill
Widget Whiteberry: yes, I think so Reflection
Widget Whiteberry: sometimes sad is appropriate
Widget Whiteberry: tomorrow I'll go to the gym
Reflection Freenote: we will hope that he will be better soon
Widget Whiteberry: hey, who fixed the pool?
stevenaia Michinaga: I did
Widget Whiteberry: ☆smiles☆

Widget Whiteberry: I'm going to go hear some live music in a minute or two
stevenaia Michinaga: in SL?
Widget Whiteberry: aha
Widget Whiteberry: in SL< yes
Widget Whiteberry: music helps
--BELL--
stevenaia Michinaga: Storm did a brilliant job
Reflection Freenote: have a good evening folks:))
Widget Whiteberry: ty, you too
stevenaia Michinaga: night reflections
stevenaia Michinaga: night Widget
Widget Whiteberry: night
stevenaia Michinaga: you know you are walking on water
Widget Whiteberry: there is the landmark if either of you are interested
Widget Whiteberry: oh, I do that from time to time
stevenaia Michinaga: thanks, what kind of music?
Widget Whiteberry: I hear it's Celtic
Widget Whiteberry: recommended to me
stevenaia Michinaga: I may tag along
Widget Whiteberry: that would be very nice
Agent Madeye: right ill bugger off then
Agent Madeye: bye
stevenaia Michinaga: bye