counterpunch | The propagation through time of your personal
genetic presence within the genetic sea of humanity can be visualized as
a wave that arises out of the pre-conscious past before your birth,
moves through the streaming present of your conscious life, and
dissipates into the post-conscious future after your death.
You are a pre-conscious genetic concentration drawn out of the
genetic diffusion of your ancestors. If you have children who survive
you then your conscious life is the time of increase of your genetic
presence within the living population. Since your progeny are unlikely
to reproduce exponentially, as viruses and bacteria do, your
post-conscious genetic presence is only a diffusion to insignificance
within the genetic sea of humanity.
During your conscious life, you develop a historical awareness of
your pre-conscious past, with a personal interest that fades with
receding generations. Also during your conscious life, you can develop a
projective concern about your post-conscious future, with a personal
interest that fades with succeeding generations and with increasing
predictive uncertainty.
Your conscious present is the sum of: your immediate conscious
awareness, your reflections on your prior conscious life, your
historical awareness of your pre-conscious past, and your concerns about
your post-conscious future.
Your time of conscious present becomes increasingly remote in the historical awareness of your succeeding generations.
Your loneliness in old age is just your sensed awareness of your
genetic diffusion into the living population of your conscious present
and post-conscious future.
