A Moment In Time, 4 Years Later
It occurred while at my workspace. I was staring at a list of products that required my hands to type words, in order for it to sell. That’s when it happened. There was no electric flash or deafening sound but at random thoughts passed back, forth and from an old hallway of my brain floated the name, Lefebvre. In a matter of seconds too fast to count, I realised I was having a moment. A real one.
For those unfamiliar with the French Philosopher-Henry Lefebvre, a “moment” is defined by its form independent of particular content (Lefebvre, 1989: 171). In short, he proposes that we seize and act on all ‘Moments’ of revelation, emotional clarity and self-presence as the basis for becoming more self-fulfilled. What now happened to me on August 11th of 2020 was a realisation which now extended beyond a theory.
It’s been four years since I had read and re-read his book, “The Critique of Everyday Life” while in university. Now, Kaboom! I had finally come to understand what he had meant by a moment in reality. In this moment, I gaped in awe at how I’m so glad I had learnt of such a thing, all thanks to the degree I had followed and mid term exam which had forced me to overthink his words, and mine. More thoughts: Why? Had it not been my gut feeling that made me pick my major, among the nosy annual relatives who had questioned my choice then — what was happening right now may have never occurred! (The monologue happened in my thoughts of course, physically in a workspace — mentally, I was having an EPIC moment!)
The ‘moment’ lasted for as long as I wanted it to last. The moment I also came to realise can also be tapped into whenever I want to as well. Who would have ever thought — but Lefebvre!
To understand what I’m going on about here’s a bit more context: Lefebvre argued that everyday life was an underdeveloped sector compared to technology and production, and moreover that in the mid 20th century, capitalism changed such that everyday life would be colonized and turned into a zone of sheer consumption.
PAUSE. Reflect on the 21st century.
Are YOU free from spending a majority of your time ensuring this does not continue — or are you like me, feeding the system?
In this zone of everydayness (boredom) shared by everyone in society regardless of class or specialty, autocritique of everyday realities of boredom vs. societal promises of free time and leisure, could lead to people understanding and then revolutionizing their everyday lives. This was essential to Lefebvre because everyday life was where he saw capitalism surviving and reproducing itself. Yet has not the latter triumphed successfully to date?
Did Covid-19 not shake this illusion of capitalist society? Did not your consumption habits slow down a tad bit?
Without revolutionizing everyday life, capitalism would continue to diminish the quality of everyday life, and inhibit real self-expression. Why fair and lovely? Why slim tea? Why hair removal solutions? Why Plastic Surgery?
Well, I shall leave the thinking over to you. I write with the intention so that you might stumble upon your moment, either right now, tomorrow or years later, but on time.
Love and Light,
Amashi.