Absentism (n.)
The philosophical attitude of being so wrapped up
in thinking about past or future events that one completely forgets to inhabit
the present moment, and consequently is in serious danger of falling out of
existence altogether.
Absentism is the precise opposite of
philosophical presentism, which denies the reality of past and future events on
the grounds that nobody has ever seen one, except insofar as they occur in the
present moment, and so when all is said and done, that must be the only thing
that really exists. According to the presentist, any memories or premonitions
that you may actually experience from time to time are simply manifestations of
the causal consequences or potentialities of other non-existent events that just
happen to be floating around the universe, or else are the delusions of an
overactive imagination brought on by watching too much daytime
television.
Whilst presentism is a perfectly healthy, life-affirming attitude that encourages one to inhabit the present with concern and respect for all the other things and beings that can be found in it, absentism encourages a total lack of awareness about oneself, other people and ultimately life itself. Extended periods of absentism may reportedly lead to the subject disappearing from the present moment altogether and materialising in a parallel universe in which they are permanently located some two feet left of themselves, although the truth of such reports have yet to be substantiated.
[Note that absentism is similar to Douglas Coupland's concept of ‘now denial’, but I am including it here anyway just to underscore the importance of the phenomenon — Ed.]
Whilst presentism is a perfectly healthy, life-affirming attitude that encourages one to inhabit the present with concern and respect for all the other things and beings that can be found in it, absentism encourages a total lack of awareness about oneself, other people and ultimately life itself. Extended periods of absentism may reportedly lead to the subject disappearing from the present moment altogether and materialising in a parallel universe in which they are permanently located some two feet left of themselves, although the truth of such reports have yet to be substantiated.
[Note that absentism is similar to Douglas Coupland's concept of ‘now denial’, but I am including it here anyway just to underscore the importance of the phenomenon — Ed.]
Posted on Wednesday - May 18, 2005 at 02:39 PM
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Published On: Sep 07, 2007 08:02 AM
