GRGR(23): Mondaugen's Law

[Jeremy Osner]

"Personal density," sez Mondaugen, quoted on GR 509, "is directly
proportional to temporal bandwidth." Meaning, as I understand it, the
wider your sense of "present", the more intensely present you are. This
seems to me counter-intuitive: if your personhood is spread out across a
broader band of time, seems like it would be less dense; but if it is
concentrated into a narrow present moment, it would be strong and vivid.
On the other hand I can see Mondaugen's point; which makes me wonder if
I'm picturing the wrong metaphor to describe what is going on.

Or perhaps this is a real issue for me, of not knowing which is better,
to be entirely in the present moment or to be rooted in the past and
future. Mondaugen's way of describing the second option, as increasing
the present moment to include past and future, seems useful. Could this
be tied in with the calculus notion of delta-t?

Jeremy

--
Worship is not a passive emotional state,
but is a willing acquiescence in and
self-commitment to what may be demanded
or required by That which is worshipped.

Phillip Wheelwright
introduction, *The Presocratics*