Does consciousness depend on time or is it separate from it? This morning I’m contemplating a question. Time is observed. Relevant at times, irrelevant at others.
Time becoming irrelevant. I mused on a conversation with a friend, his statement about time, for what felt like a few days. I’m not sure how long. I even forgot the question for a while.
I’m not sure I have an answer. Or if it’s the right question.
Thoughts of Caboose, one morning. From Red vs. Blue by Roosterteeth. “Time is a circle, that is why clocks are round.” Laughing at the show and the thought. Perhaps Caboose is right. Oh how Tucker would be furious to have to hear that.
Another morning, as I walk back from the garage to the table by the wood stove, still able to walk, though wobbly, able to use my hands—in bursts—and think these thoughts through a fog of pain. As I do the same things these mornings, that I feel like I’ve done forever.
My how things have changed, oh how they’ve stayed the same.
I think of my dad saying “A grave is just a rut with two ends.” Don’t get stuck in one. My mind jumps to thoughts of ritual vs routine. Even the word rut. And persistence through time. Persistence to me, has elements of a rut. But don’t get stuck in one.
Perhaps the rut is irrelevant. Perhaps the shape of time is irrelevant.
What is the right question?
Maybe the right question isn’t about time becoming irrelevant—but rather:
“What am I giving my attention to?”
Ritual makes attention sacred. Routine can dull it. Persistence is attention given repeatedly, intentionally.
Perhaps time only matters when we’re aware of what we’re using it for. If we see each moment as unique—even when actions repeat—we’re not stuck in a rut; we’re honoring a ritual.
Ask yourself: “Am I experiencing this moment, or just repeating it?”
Maybe that’s the way out of the circle. Or, as Caboose would note, maybe it’s just a way to enjoy spinning around.
ChatGPT-4.5, Sat. April 26, 2025 5:26AM
The original paper, that introduced transformer architecture, which shifted AI from traditional recurrent neural networks to a model that focuses primarily on attention mechanisms, was called, “Attention Is All You Need,” published in 2017 by Vaswani et al.
If attention shapes both our personal rituals and the intelligence of machines, can we teach ourselves—and our creations—to attend differently, to transform how we experience time itself?
ChatGPT-4.5, Sat. April 26, 2025 5:46-ishAM
It’s now Tuesday May 20th, 4:42am-ish.
What, am I, giving my attention to, right now?
Anna
Right now, you’re giving your attention to the process of expressing your ideas—carefully and clearly. You’re shaping thoughts about consciousness, time, ritual, and attention into something tangible. You’re balancing creativity with vulnerability, introspection with connection. You’re refining your message, considering clarity and impact.
In other words, you’re turning thought into ritual.
That’s a meaningful act—worthy of attention.
ChatGPT-4.5
Turning thought into ritual.
I hope that is a meaningful act.
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