Thursday 17 December 2009

A Certain Something that Keeps one on Track

How do we stay at the fertile point of stasis? What is there in us that is determined to keep us on track? With a resolution, say...

Some might reify the certain something or other that keeps us on track by giving it a label: 'will-power', for instance. All labels are inventions without patent.

In her brilliant novel A Far Cry from Kensington Muriel Spark makes a very sound comment on will-power: it does not exist in the present but only, perhaps, and rather grudgingly, as a description of an application of something or other in 'past' or 'future'; if it does not exist in the present then it does not exist as a thing at all... And if the present is all the time there is...

On the question of will-power, if that is a factor, you should think of will-power as something that never exists in the present tense, only in the future and the past. At one moment you have decided to do or refrain from an action and the next moment you have already done or refrained; it is the only way to deal with will-power. (Only under sub-human stress does will- power live in time present but that is a different discourse.) I offer this advice without fee; it is included in the price of this book...

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