Thread: The "ahhh" moment

I understand exactly what you're saying, and I've had many of those moments.

I think there's a difference between knowing what something is and knowing what something is. These moments are when you suddenly fully realize the meaning of things you previously memorized as phrases and didn't fully digest.

I had a huge one a few days ago that gave me goosebumps and had me frozen in my tracks for a good ten minutes - it was about the past.

For some reason, I always semi-consciously thought of the past as a place with less color, less realism, etc. ... suddenly, I realized that the Earth itself was likely nearly identical back in early human times. People actually fought sword on sword, spilling blood onto the very same grass under the same hot sun, bathed in its bright light. (See, those are probably just words to whoever reads this... but go back and really picture each word, every bit of what makes this world real, until the realization hits you. We often skim over these sorts of things without really mulling them over enough, and that's why we end up having those "Ahhh" moments later on... it clicks!)

I've had similar experiences with realizing that Mars is a place you can actually go to (triggered by the rover pictures), that the universe is fucking big (triggered by the Hubble Ultra Deep Field photo), and when I was younger, that you could actually walk anywhere you could see, and there would always be something there (this is most likely the point at which the impression of the world imparted on me by video games was shattered).

I think these moments are wonderful, they're flashes of clarity that really make you feel like you understand the world for once. Powerful experiences, indeed.

thats the best way to live! but very hard for anyone to do all the time. wouldn't it be living in the moment?

I think people should do it more often. we'd have a lot less depression if people were always conscious how big the universe and life in general was, and that all these tiny things that annoy us or make us angry are even that much insignificant

Originally Posted by thegnome54

People actually fought sword on sword, spilling blood onto the very same grass under the same hot sun, bathed in its bright light. (See, those are probably just words to whoever reads this... but go back and really picture each word, every bit of what makes this world real, until the realization hits you. We often skim over these sorts of things without really mulling them over enough, and that's why we end up having those "Ahhh" moments later on... it clicks!)

Yeah! this would happen to me like when i am some where historical and I realise that someone in the past touched this EXACT rock, and for a moment I understand that someone touched this exact rock. sadly, it goes away.

Originally Posted by thegnome54

I've had similar experiences with realizing that Mars is a place you can actually go to (triggered by the rover pictures), that the universe is fucking big (triggered by the Hubble Ultra Deep Field photo), and when I was younger, that you could actually walk anywhere you could see, and there would always be something there (this is most likely the point at which the impression of the world imparted on me by video games was shattered).

I had one of those moments when i realized how FREAKIN ENORMOUS our universe really is when i saw a picture of all the other galaxies taken by the hubble.

Originally Posted by juroara

thats the best way to live! but very hard for anyone to do all the time. wouldn't it be living in the moment?

I think people should do it more often. we'd have a lot less depression if people were always conscious how big the universe and life in general was, and that all these tiny things that annoy us or make us angry are even that much insignificant

I agree with you! about it being the best way to live an that there would be alot less depression.

i guess it would be called living in the moment. probably one of the hardest thing to achieve. by the way i like your profile picture.

Ya i know what you mean i think, i only slept under the starts once in my life and it was the best night ever. I think the stars are hypnotic or something.

Originally Posted by thegnome54

I think there's a difference between knowing what something is and knowing what something is. These moments are when you suddenly fully realize the meaning of things you previously memorized as phrases and didn't fully digest.

I understand what you mean, but I would have worded it to say the difference is between knowing something and understanding something. The distinction being that knowledge is possessing factual information which is true, but understanding being an intuitive application of that knowledge.

Originally Posted by thegnome54

...and when I was younger, that you could actually walk anywhere you could see, and there would always be something there (this is most likely the point at which the impression of the world imparted on me by video games was shattered).

What're you talking about? Videogames have invisible walls all over the place. I hate invisible walls.

Originally Posted by Mark75

What're you talking about? Videogames have invisible walls all over the place. I hate invisible walls.

Yeah, exactly. I had a hard time grasping the notion that when you're on the highway, driving along, every single square foot of land as far as the eye can see has life forms living there which call it home, every pebble and rock you see has a history, is unique, and most of all the idea that you could literally stop the car and walk out to the horizon if you wanted to.

Kind of hard to grasp as a child, always being ferried about by the whims of those who watch over you.

Oh, okay, I read that wrong.

Originally Posted by Dewitback

i guess it would be called living in the moment. probably one of the hardest thing to achieve.

Not really, just stop doing everything else

Originally Posted by Dewitback

I am also wondering for those who meditate or who believe they are truly self-aware if this is what you feel all the time? As if every moment you can realize, "this is the moon", "this is a mountain", "this is life".

Well, I'm a pretty undisciplined meditator, but I might have some insight on this question. At my low level of attainment, meditation and mindfulness training certainly increases the frequency and duration of that "ahhh" mode of experience, as well as generating the occasional more piercing and profound experience, but those 'special effects' can become obstacles in themselves if one clings to them, pursuing blissful or altered states.

I had an experience just after college where I was meditating quite a bit and for a period of several weeks I 'got stuck' in direct experience of the unity and pervasive interpenetration of phenomena, the nearly constant direct perception that all is one. Over about two years I was able to integrate it and abide more lightly in that state, but for a while it prevented me from really taking care of myself.

So I guess the upshot is, meditation opens up a whole new bag of tricks.

I live for those moments. I don't have anything witty or word-heavy to say about it though.

I love those moments. The biggest thing that gets me thinking about how huge the universe and how small things can be, is atoms. I think of how everything is made out of microscopic atoms.

Are solid objects truly solid? I heard that there is always space between the atoms or something.

Originally Posted by thegnome54

I've had similar experiences with realizing that Mars is a place you can actually go to (triggered by the rover pictures).

The exact same thing happened to me.

I also get stunned while looking at the stars at night thinking that there's actually space where they exist and that they may be a lot different than the light that's reaching us now.

It's even more mind boggling to think that on another galaxy there might be an intelligent species with their own civilization, culture and problems, like us oblivious to fact they're not the only ones, and most probably we'll never meet.

this is probably what happened to sir Isac newton "...Gravity..."