Post 3 – The Structure of Being

In the previous posts, we explored a fundamental misunderstanding about the nature of reality and outlined a path toward resolving this contradiction. Before addressing the inevitable questions raised by the conclusion, that everything physical or abstract is eternal, let’s revisit some key ideas.

The Subjectivity of Time and the Eternity of All Things

When considering phenomena that hint at the eternal nature of reality, we touched on near-death experiences (NDEs), déjà vu, and other extraordinary intuitions. To this, we can add the profound example of the night sky.

When we look at the stars, we see vast differences in time coexisting: some starlight reaches us in minutes, others in years, and still others in millions of years. Yet this entire mosaic of times appears unified as our shared now. What we see does not exist in the same temporal moment, yet the experience feels whole.

Déjà Vu

Déjà vu, the sensation of having already experienced a present situation, is often dismissed as a memory error. Because the supposed past cannot be verified, it’s easy to regard the experience as an illusion.

Yet for those who have experienced déjà vu, reflect on its quality. Was it merely a fleeting impression, or did it carry an unshakable sense of knowing?

What if déjà vu isn’t a trick of memory but a glimpse of eternity? Perhaps it reveals not a past event repeating but an eternal event, a momentary lifting of the veil that hides the timeless nature of being.

Near-Death Experiences (NDEs)

NDEs offer another compelling perspective on reality’s timeless nature. A common feature of NDEs is the life review, where individuals report seeing their entire lives. Every word, action, and moment unfold simultaneously with astonishing clarity. This defies our sequential perception of time and hints at a state where all moments exist together, like a completed book or a film reel viewed all at once.

Many describe this state as timeless, where past, present, and future merge into a seamless whole. Some report glimpses of future events that later occur exactly as foreseen, while others recall pre-birth memories, sometimes echoed in accounts by young children.

A universal realization among those who return is that there is no death. They awaken to the truth that they have always existed, and that reality on “the other side” is clearer, more vivid, and far more real than this one. Many even describe a reluctance to return to their physical bodies, preferring the clarity of the eternal state they encountered.

Not Illusion, but Distortion

It is a mistake, however, to dismiss this life as a mere illusion. Many philosophers and spiritual traditions have fallen into this error by accepting the nihilistic idea that reality swings between being and nothingness, or that an “in-between” state exists. Such a state is logically impossible, leading to the false belief that life is unreal.

This life is real and necessary. When those who experience NDEs describe it as a dream, they do so only to contrast its fragmented nature with the clarity of eternity. We experience reality in slices we call the present, which seem to appear and disappear, as though emerging from and vanishing into nothing.

This fragmented perception creates the illusion of unreality, like viewing the world from a moving train or watching a film. We dismiss the movie as “unreal” because it is transient, while the screen remains constant. But this metaphor misleads. In truth, there is no separation between the screen and the movie, the space and the action.

We are not passive observers; we are the space in which all eternal entities and events appear. This life is not an illusion. Its reality is obscured only by our fragmented perception of change, which distorts the eternal truth underlying all things.

The Nature of Reality and Emanuele Severino

So, in essence, what is reality? Throughout the ages, sages and philosophers have tried to provide us with a comprehensive model of it. They have used metaphors, symbols, and figures of speech to bring it somewhat within the reach of our understanding. In all cases, there were ample gaps, contradictions, and unresolved questions. Many of these questions have been resolved only in recent decades.

Though many have contributed, the most comprehensive and up-to-date model of reality, answering all previously unanswered questions, including the age-old aporia of nothingness, is that of philosopher Emanuele Severino (1929 – 2020). Here is a summary of his thought:

1. Being is Eternal

What is cannot not be. Being, in its essence, is eternal and unchanging. Nothingness cannot “be” because it negates being itself.

“Every being is eternal, because being cannot be nothing.”

2. The Nihilism of Western Thought

The error of Western culture, rooted in Plato and Aristotle, is the belief that things arise from nothing and return to nothing. This is nihilism: the mistaken assumption that being is contingent and not necessary. Even modern thought operates within this flawed framework.

3. The Eternal Structure of Being

Reality consists of eternal entities that exist necessarily and cannot be destroyed. Time does not annihilate being but reveals it gradually. Time is the unfolding of what is already eternal—what Severino calls the destiny of truth.

4. Appearance and Truth

Being is eternal and unchanging, but its appearance unfolds in temporal order. This process creates the illusion of becoming, while in reality, beings are simply revealed progressively.

5. The Destiny of Truth
Truth is the eternal nature of every being, and its destiny is the gradual revelation of this reality. Humanity currently operates under the mistaken assumption of becoming, but the recognition of being’s timeless essence is inevitable.

In Summary

• Reality consists of all eternals.
• Nothing comes from nothing, and nothing returns to nothing. Being is unchanging and necessary.
• Time and becoming are the progressive appearance of what is already eternal.
• Nihilism (the belief in nothingness) is the root error of Western thought.