Tag: nature of reality

Reflections on The Nature of Reality

12 May 2026

The quality of reality seems to have been mixed up with the objects of experience; we attribute the quality of reality to them, but upon further investigation we could see that it cannot depend on objects because this quality, or its magnitude if you will, remains the same; it is formless. As in a projection on the screen, both the projection and the screen seem to coincide, but the reality of the screen is distinct from that of the film and the events in it. The screen is not something in the film, but it must be there and become anonymous for us to be able to experience the film. … More Reflections on The Nature of Reality

American Cheese and the Ontology of Attention

24 Feb 2026

I once learned at the vet that a slice of American cheese could make a hated nail-clipping practically disappear for my dog. That small trick opened a larger question: can something be said to “exist” if it no longer stands out in consciousness? From Leroy to Kant, from metaphysics to everyday anxiety, this piece explores a blunt possibility, that many of our “situations” survive only by the oxygen of our attention. Shift the beam, and the monster fades. Not by force, but by redirection. … More American Cheese and the Ontology of Attention

There is nothing but Presence: Don’t try to be present; notice that you already are

23 Aug 2024

In relegating the reality and presence of a thing to a substratum, to what’s behind it, I enter into a hopeless pursuit of reality, thinking presence comes from things instead of seeing that it really comes from me. It’s in my presence that the world is present.  … More There is nothing but Presence: Don’t try to be present; notice that you already are

Finding the Real in Ecstasy: The Metaphysics of Joy

20 Mar 2023

We need only reflect on our own daily experience to see that much of suffering, I mean the unnecessary and avoidable suffering, is the result of attachment to what’s pleasant and aversion to what’s unpleasant. Perhaps if we have a bad day where we don’t feel great, we’ve made it what it is in contrast … More Finding the Real in Ecstasy: The Metaphysics of Joy