The Present: Where Past and Future Kiss
Sociology by Eugen Rosenstock-Huessy Part 3: At the Crossroad of Reality: Double-Spaced and Double-Timed
This is part 3 (part 1; part 2) of a series on the sociology of spaces and times by Eugen Rosenstock-Huessy. I´m currently reading the second volume of his trilogy “Im Kreuz der Wirklichkeit”. In english: “At the Crossroad of Reality”. Though “Wirklichkeit” does not perfectly translate to reality, I will still translate it with ‘reality’ here.
The first volumes subtitle is “Die Übermacht der Räume” - “The superiority of spaces”. The second ones “Die Vollzahl der Zeiten” - “The full number of times”. Both together highlight one of the biggest problems of today. We´re collectively lost in spaces without our ability to create (new) times and spaces. Yet according to Huessy this ability is what gives us our freedom as humans.
“Our freedom consists in constantly carving out new times and new spaces.”
But what are these times and spaces? Why does he use the plural? Isn´t there only the eternal now? How do we create them? I will try to answer these questions in this post.
At the Crossroad of Reality
The truth of any social occurrence, be it the foundation of a new state, a friendship or any other society always consists of four elements of truth. They are:
Inside (reflexivum): The voice of inner truth of self-awareness.
Outside (activum): The voice of external truth of probation.
Backwards (trajectivum): The voice of the hour of destiny, which called the entity into being before we ourselves were alive.
Forwards (präjectivum): The voice of responsibility that it cannot do without in the future.
All sociological knowledge is polyphonic and can only be made audible, not visible or tangible. It must show its full integrity by fulfilling several spaces and several times.
Spaces: being alive in an inner space and an outer world.
Times: being rooted in a past and projecting into a future.
“The coordination network of reality cuts up a multi-spatial, multi-temporal occurrence.”
Therefore only what is determined in more than one space and more than one time is fully real (sociologically).
The first space that is given is the “universe” as the whole. But in the universe alone we would go mad, therefore we create the inner space of “home”. So “universe” and “home” are necessary poles.
Time is first given as the “moment”. But no human being can experience the mere moment alone. For us to experience it we have to arch a second time over the moment.
“Space is given as the universe; time as the moment. So time and space are experienced. But in order to experience them, we must subdivide space and expand time. The smallest inner space, where two or three are gathered together, is the greatest space; the longest time from Adam to the Last Day is the most difficult period of time. Therefore the smallest space and the longest time are most difficult to create because humanity finds the undivided space of the universe and the smallest moment at the beginning. Thus the simple juxtaposition of time and space is meaningless, it even prevents the realization of both.”
In other words our agency as real human beings depends on our ability to create spaces and times where we are fully rooted in both times and both spaces. Just living in the now no one will find this important, yet it is. It´s like with the first people who sang or played an instrument to make music. The notes and melodies simply emerged artfully, without them having any idea that there are only ever seven notes. Yet the invention of musical notation was essential to allow bigger choirs to create uniformal singing. What Huessy did here is the same for social occurrences.
The other day I read a note saying “there only is the now, time doesn´t exist”. I believe this mindset limits our progress as humanity. We have to collectively learn how to create times and spaces again. In a way we are still stuck in world-war, and the only answer to world-war is world-piece.
Real Space and Effective Time
Part of the nature of reality is to appear inexhaustible, diverse and versatile. One and the same funeral:
is a gratification for the dead
is a misfortune for the family
is revenue for the coffin institute
is a sensation for some children
is an opportunity for thieves
is inspiration for an artist
…
A myriad of things are co-determined by one and the same real happening. To have any chance at organizing this inexhaustibility we would need to use the four pathways I described before. They allow us to step to an Archimedean point outside of this colorfulness. From this point, where inside is separated from outside and backwards from forwards, the forces of reality become accessible and determinable.
These simplest basic forces of reality can be defined abstractly. For I can give each basic direction a force:
One-sided space-forces
Internal force
External force
One-sided time-forces
Origin force
Future force
The time forces are indifferent to the space of their occurrence. For essence of the past is to be spatially past, while the essence of the future is to not be in space yet. Meanwhile both time forces carry their dependence on each other in polar tension. With the past I must also remember the future. With the future I also have to separate a past. So the forces of time enter us ‘spaceless’ and ‘double-timed’.
The opposite is true for the space-forces. The internal assertions of any sociologists demand our participation regardless of when the individual sociologist made them. They are indifferent to time. The accusations and perspectives of their persecutors also want to be taken seriously as such at all times. The inner space requires an outer one. Therefore the forces of space enter us ‘timeless’ and ‘double-spaced’.
The first task facing the sociologist is to separate the unreal from the real, as we can use these four terms like musical notation. They are not the music, but allow us to recognize the music and the distinction from music and not-music.
Therefore our first task as sociologist is the separation of the real and unreal. The unreal is necessarily a glow (an illusion) of the real. Otherwise we would not be tempted to think it is real.
Of course this task was always natural, long before sociology was invented. Humans always had and wanted to separate illusion and reality.
“The mirror of the unreal within us is the imagination. The power of imagination conjures up the apparent (illusion) before us as if it were something real.”
Our imagination works most freely at times when we are recovering from the seriousness of life. Human recreational forms are illusory creations that are not meant to be serious. However, although it is not serious, it is a reflection of the serious.
Therefore the recovery of our imagination has to use the principles of the real. Nobody has to know the things better than the one who wants to emulate them as if they are real.
“For millennia, human imagination has studied the mysteries of reality better than any science. In their games and pleasures, in the appearances and recreation, mankind has placed a simulacrum of reality beside reality.”
So the first inventory of humanity about the fundamental forces of reality is found in the illusory life of imagination. Through this inventory - that millenia have formed -we can access reality in the safest way. More on that in the next part of this series.
Carry your Name with Pride
This probably sounds pretty complex if you haven´t read the whole book. Even for me it´s hard to understand but I can feel it more and more. All these forces are affecting me every second I´m truly real and carry my true name.
My inner space creates a tension with the outer world. My past folds into the future creating my agency in the moment. With a name comes responsibility. We become more than our biology.
“Language transforms you from a nameless creature to a carrier. It is enough to have a name. For by that you are wearing a yoke of your own kind and have ceased to be merely a human being.”
We are not just human beings or just spiritual beings. We are both. Spiritual beings having a human experience and human beings having a spiritual experience.
Time exists and we are transforming space through time. Reality is transforming the universe through us. Language is more than just a tool, it is the path on which we transform together.
“Speech has come into the world, so that your idea of me and mine of you can put us in our rightful place in the universe.”
Life begins when we accept death. We are not immortal as human beings. Magic is waiting for you at the crossroad of reality. Here and now where your past life, up to this very moment, melts into your future death. Feel into it and you will find living and dying are just two sides of the same coin.
Thanks for reading.
Love Marco :)