The Flow.

EVERYTHING in life is a flow. You can feel the flows if you quiet your mind, still your inner space; halt any aversion for that which is present in the now, halt any grasping for that which is not present in the now. This balance is the means by which you can ride the flow into the path of decreasing resistance, the means by which imagination manifests progressively more easily into reality. ☯

Metamodernism... The Face of the New Era of Thought

We live in the age of "Metamodernism", transcending the duality of dogmatic absolutism (modernism) and amorphous relativism (postmodernism), into a more all inclusive worldview that incorporates aspects of both.

No single point of view has the truth, but truth does exist. Truth exists in the incorporation of all points of view into a unified, cohesive meta-unit.

http://nmc.loyola.edu/intro/postmod/table.htm (For a reference to what Modernism and Postmodernism are, follow this link)

Modernism (~1890-1950) was a general movement in thought, art, philosophy, humanities, etc. that arose during the first half of the 20th century. One of its primary features is its insistence that there is a singular idea or means that is the absolute truth. People began claiming their personal truths as the "end-all, be all", absolute truth... all other approaches are "wrong". This duality of right/wrong ways to truth is problematic.

Postmodernism (~1950-1990) was the reaction to modernism. It's defining characteristic was the claim that there is no absolute truth, that everything is relative, and to seek for truth is a futile act because it doesn't exist. The question that arises is this: if there is no truth, then what's the point of doing anything? Human values and culture descend into nihilism, meaninglessness, and purposelessness. An additional gaping hole is the fact that postmodernism is self-negating: if every idea is relative, postmodernism should be just as relative too. After such a conclusion, what value does the idea of postmodernism hold? Why bother even talking about it?

Metamodernism (1990-now) is the balance point between those two ideas. It takes the idea of truth from modernism and combines it with the relativity of postmodernism: all ideas are approaches to truth, but the truth cannot be found through one idea alone. 

The concepts of Modernism/Postmodernism/Me​tamodernism/etc. emerge from looking at the underlying themes of what everyone of a particular era of thought were trying to express. It's the culture of an era, a collective consciousness of sorts... everyone just so happens to be on the same page of underlying philosophical motivation. Fascinating, IMO. 

Since the 1990's, people have been trying to figure out what the current cultural-thought trend is all about. Now that it's begun to clarify as it emerges from the overlap era with postmodernism, I'm sure we can expect to see manifestations of metamodernism with increasing frequency over the next few decades. I think it's beautiful.

Stillness

In stillness one can find peace. Like a lake undisturbed by ripples and waves, the reflection of whosoever gazes upon it becomes clear as the turbulence subsides. Knowing thyself is effortless, actionless, and only requires one to look into the mirror of the self. Paradigm shift: meditation as stillness, peace.


Nature is still, but it is not immediately apparent how this is so. My friend Ben gave me an insight once... Every tree is struggling to survive every day of its existence, but they still live in a state of peace, stillness.

Stillness is effortless being. It is a state in which you don't have to force yourself into something that you're not to make something happen. Plants and animals are naturally what they are, true to themselves, as much as they can be, because of their limited ability to break from the natural flow of growth.

To be in stillness is to go with the flow, not against it. Nature and growth is the flow. Looking into the reflection of mental stillness allows one to remember one’s true self, and to settle back into the flow.