Frontiers in the Occurrent
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In life, we all have near, medium, and far future potentials and some scientific natural freedom, felt to us, and beneficial to us, in the ongoing moment of the occurrent or the occurring. These potentials and this freedom are made of what is open and available to us, ahead of us in time. For purposes of discussion, I describe these potentials and this freedom as “frontiers.” This essay is essentially an attempt to explain how time between present and future affects personal liberty, in the present.
The quality of these frontiers matters in the projected existence of them being robust ahead of time, as real and viable in the face of forecast realities that have consequences in the future. The quality of these frontiers greatly affects the current liberty and morale, for any person. So, this future frontier liberty matters and should be respected, at timeframes preceding whatever future manifestation of actual later happenings might happen, in later reality. Surprisingly, the preceding vitality and robustness of frontiers is more important than if they do actually come to be. But of course, once time has progressed to be later, then that new present tense becomes the relevant issue, so what I mentioned is not exactly what I mentioned. This is confusing, and this will be discussed and explained in this essay.
It is part of all our quality of living, for all persons, to feel legitimate options embedded in free-enough near-term, medium-term, and long-term futures ahead, in our lives. The presence of the potential for mere change, or obvious improvement, or basic personal development and continual growth — to future windows of time — is crucial to all of us.
Also, the freedom from, and thus lack of, too firm of any clamping of constraints — cast far ahead in doomed and predetermined inflexible futures — are valuable to each of us in the very now, or in the ongoing moment.
We can feel changes in frontier potentials available to us, and any overly clamping constraints against us can squelch much surprise or development ahead of us. Such can become very tangibly and physically constricting, and maybe even morale and wellness crushing, for any person’s real liberty, and for the latitude of his or her own real free will.
This sense for the welfare of frontiers can be felt in the mind of each person, upon changes in frontier outlooks, without having to even conceive of, or consider, consequences at any great length. We humans quickly feel frontier changes, ambiently, and we need not even analyze it, if and when our frontiers are in danger, and if and when our frontiers free up suddenly, to personal estimation of real likelihoods ahead in time.
Realities of likelihoods and fortunes, good or poor, impact us quickly, and with our scientific mammal animal reactions resulting in a manner primal, immediate, and requiring little to no thought on the matter. We just know: if our frontiers are safe from excessive constriction, or not.
It is better for these personally felt true options to possess the potentials for near, medium, and far future surprises.
Surprises available ahead of us in time, and new opportunities that could feasibly develop, fare much better if they each remain significantly unestablished (as of now). Too much predetermination and establishment of future happenings and situations, does greatly hinder a person by significantly erasing the possibility for something dear to us all: the potential for appealing and/or refreshing changes possible, to one’s life ahead. And interestingly, potential for any change — good or bad — is more appealing than what might seem better situations for health and amenities to other parties’ assessments, if those seemingly better situations for health and amenities are forced upon a person, predetermining and dooming his or her future.
Whether dreams or undreamt of surprises come true — is not the issue yet — while living in the moment, with these frontiers being important in potential, and with viable freedom, right now. Valuable primarily in the moment, this frontier liberty is not at all sensitive to fast-forwarding to imagined results. Fast-forwarding to imagined results is often done in assessments made by others, rather than if decided upon by the person at issue, whose future is truly at stake, in the now.
Regardless of whether forecast possible changes come into fruition, or do not come into fruition — in the not-yet-existent future — the potential in the ongoing now — for this future changeability — does need to be real to us. Thus our frontiers need to be legitimate, and no scam, as we plan basics, and dream of, or merely feel, the open years ahead.
Efforts by others to provide stability do risk detrimental clamping constraints away from future occurrences unexpected, or unforeseen, within the hopefully reasonable strictures of our present contracts in life. Reasonable strictures covers: lease and mortgage contracts; social marriage and parental formal and implied contracts; employment contracts; health contracts; and retirement contracts; plus any justice penalizations.
Option frontiers, as I sometimes term these factors, range greatly in terms of the magnitude of what a person might look forward to, wonderingly and avidly, and in that time range spectrum ahead.
In contrast to some reflex criticism that often arises when discussing liberties, frontiers, and options, these option frontiers I am discussing are actually fairly unambitious and basic, and are thus not about grand dreams or over-ambition.
Actually, just little junctures ahead in a given day, or for the week ahead included, and maybe an event or two about a month in the future, are the lifeblood of this, much more so than ideas for years out. (But beware, this sentence has missed entirely a more important point:)
However, even with no idea or guess as to a person’s status and livelihood several years ahead in the future, it does stand as very important that the unknown and unknowable about that time frame not be too tightly predetermined and thus not be squelched, by present long-term contracts to stay forced too long in an abode, or to be an employee at a company without viable future freedom, and so forth. We all live better if we have open enough frontiers.
Most important, the frontiers that potentials and freedom ahead can give us benefit most from being full of unknowns, likely surprises, and robust crossover ties — with related or intuitively connected further options and frontiers. These secondary links to potential can strongly, though vaguely, tie into any main potential’s options, plans, and frontiers that are more immediately felt, imagined, and currently cherished.
Now that I’ve introduced the confusing theories of this, I’ll turn to some real life cases that might explain how these theories plays out:
Often, many people cannot understand why people who are on low income, or who are nearly or fully homeless, do spend their limited financial powers and opportunities on pursuits and endeavors that are not all solely aimed at financial improvement, the path to which might be by way of sacrificing all costs to quality of life. So, often these same many people assume offhandedly that low income earners should simply go full-tilt living only to capacitate greater financial position, or reduce financial weakness.
It is a reality that the potential for financial improvement that could be gained by nearly starving oneself, or only eating with no niceties (just as bad for us all), can for many persons only avail them of enough monthly increase in financial power, or reduction in monthly decrease of such, to mean that over about 200 years of meager monthly improvements: net worth might increase above zero. This is folly to just chase net worth.
This is cruel, in actuality, to expect those low on income to relegate themselves to a self-cruel and utilitarian monetary stranglehold placed above their own essential human recreation, reward, enjoyment, entertainment, and at least some few rich-living trappings of real living in a real life. These factors cannot be accounted for only in terms of finances and amenities, when done coldly by others making assessments for them. These factors are essential, but do not play out conveniently for measurement or metrics, which does cause major misunderstanding.
My stance aims to defend those who are impoverished and working on financial improvement, for wisely maintaining quality of living with some niceties, regardless of that not being in keeping with obsessing over the financial or safety bottom lines. Some readers might not be aware that bread and water living stands as unacceptable self-foolish self-treatment when everyone’s basic sanity and welfare depends upon at least some minor optional leisure, hobby, or entertainment engagement several or more times per month.
There is no need for any reader to feel bad about not having considered this reality for low income earners. From my observations on the human condition, theorizing up other peoples’ experiences just never has the potential to work much, in the first place. One must live certain situations to gain wisdom as to them, or as in this case, read or hear a recount from someone who is personally experienced with particular life situations. Nothing matches real experience, firsthand: no education; and no professional certification.
Continuing, there is also a good reason for the upkeep of near-term to medium-term frontiers, for new surprising potentials ahead . Thus, I defend as wise, those impoverished persons who put money into the lottery on so very many days, for smartly keeping their frontiers open, all day long. Never surrender having a dream. At least one dream is wise to keep alive, if all other dreams ahead have been crushed.
A sad case in point I believe results from some particular parties attempting to assist and support disabled mentally ill persons by providing convenient and comfortable assisted-living, all prearranged and settled. This only happens in a blind void, full of misunderstanding human nature. Those making these types of decisions have never tried to live this way themselves, and do not know how the preeminent feature of having a future, is having an openness to one’s future — that stands true and legitimate in the now, breath-by-breath, and moment-by-moment.
In these cases, very important viable frontiers, usually felt in the moment, have been crushed by these permanent assignments to facilities. Once assigned to these assisted-care facilities, a situation might have been felt deep in the chests of many: of no future that could be open or unknown, or could show any sign of surprise or wild option as to where a person might be living in years ahead, or what a person might be doing for occupation or passion in years ahead, and so on. Equipping disabled persons with everything prearranged and handled seems, at first inaccurate glance, to be a great idea. However, shutting down the future lifeline to forevermore be doomed to such a final-answer assisted-living arrangement, is an atrocity, in my opinion.
Frontiers in the Occurrent was originally published in Flaw and Decay (de-chaotic) in Zen Nuances and Techniques on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.