Essay 1: Development
Reality is process
The idea is at least as old as Heraclitus. Alfred North Whitehead developed it into a modern philosophy in the twentieth century, and Eugene Gendlin perfected it in this one.
Reality is process. Recognizing this is an important step so that we don’t waste time asking what is a process and what isn’t. Everything is process.
This is where we start.
The relationship between process and character
We will need to have some skill in mindful reflection or meditation. Acquire it if necessary. Then, we can witness ideas about how we should live. We can imagine a future that is better than the present, the processes that might produce it, and the character of the person who could perform them.
What character is
Next we can recognize that character is a description of our habits. Marcus Aurelius recognized this, and Epictetus. We can, too.
The self and attention
Let’s shift our attention now to some other relationships.
An outcome—a dream—follows a series of outcomes, a series of medial conditions.
Those medial conditions can be strung together in a series, and we can observe them.
Remember that everything—ourselves included—is process.
Notice that our self is conditioned by what we pay attention to.
Casting our attention into the future
Again let’s dream, but in a more organized method this time.
The experience of attaining very small goals
If we imagine the progression of outcomes—as if they were frames on a reel of film—and we develop the skill of holding the frames close and of studying them, then we can notice the small differences between each frame—the subtle progression of time.
And we can develop the skill of setting small goals.
If we are able to notice our entire body and the feeling of being in a process, then we can notice the experience of attaining a very small goal.
The lather of soap against our fingers, the dull thud of a cup being set on a desk, the pressure of the floor against the ball of our foot.
These are very small goals. These are the frames that create our whole lives and all of our dreams.
Process design
Now we’re ready to design.
