Participation in the world
Participation in the world
Participation in the world
“Participation” is basically Heidegger’s being-in-the-world with the training wheels on: you’re not an observer in abstract space; you’re already in the play, shaping and being shaped by what shows up.
How do we be at home in reality without falling into the void of nihilism?
“Participation” is basically Heidegger’s being-in-the-world with the training wheels on: you’re not an observer in abstract space; you’re already in the play, shaping and being shaped by what shows up.
How do we be at home in reality without falling into the void of nihilism?
“Participation” is basically Heidegger’s being-in-the-world with the training wheels on: you’re not an observer in abstract space; you’re already in the play, shaping and being shaped by what shows up.
How do we be at home in reality without falling into the void of nihilism?
Ellie Chan
/
October 15, 2025
Ellie Chan
/
October 15, 2025
Ellie Chan
/
October 15, 2025
We often think that we either make our reality (mind over matter!) or mirror it (just the facts, ma’am). Cute, but incomplete. In practice we’re always co-fitting: the world offers handles, you offer hands, and together you decide what can be done. Call these handles “affordances.” They’re not properties of things alone (a cup isn’t universally graspable, a mantis could never), nor “in your head” alone; they live in the fit. That’s why good perception already carries action in it.
Another common move is to treat “participation” like a vibe: be present, be authentic, maybe buy a succulent. The science is sharper: participation is a dynamic loop where attention shapes a salience landscape (what pops), you adjust for an optimal grip (not too close, not too far), and new affordances open. That loop is how you stop arguing with life and start acting with it.
We often think that we either make our reality (mind over matter!) or mirror it (just the facts, ma’am). Cute, but incomplete. In practice we’re always co-fitting: the world offers handles, you offer hands, and together you decide what can be done. Call these handles “affordances.” They’re not properties of things alone (a cup isn’t universally graspable, a mantis could never), nor “in your head” alone; they live in the fit. That’s why good perception already carries action in it.
Another common move is to treat “participation” like a vibe: be present, be authentic, maybe buy a succulent. The science is sharper: participation is a dynamic loop where attention shapes a salience landscape (what pops), you adjust for an optimal grip (not too close, not too far), and new affordances open. That loop is how you stop arguing with life and start acting with it.
We often think that we either make our reality (mind over matter!) or mirror it (just the facts, ma’am). Cute, but incomplete. In practice we’re always co-fitting: the world offers handles, you offer hands, and together you decide what can be done. Call these handles “affordances.” They’re not properties of things alone (a cup isn’t universally graspable, a mantis could never), nor “in your head” alone; they live in the fit. That’s why good perception already carries action in it.
Another common move is to treat “participation” like a vibe: be present, be authentic, maybe buy a succulent. The science is sharper: participation is a dynamic loop where attention shapes a salience landscape (what pops), you adjust for an optimal grip (not too close, not too far), and new affordances open. That loop is how you stop arguing with life and start acting with it.
What's missing?
We can't have the full picture without relevance realization, which is how we come to place our attention on certain aspects over others at all. Imagine you're late for an appointment and you can't find your keys. Your brain quietly tosses out 99.9% of the room (ceiling fan, bookshelf color, plant vibes) and zooms on likely zones: table, jacket, bag. That’s relevance realization pruning noise.
Participation scales with other minds. Dialogue and communitas help recalibrate the very settings that guide attention and action. In distributed cognition, groups track more of the world than any individual can, yielding better “fit” and fewer category mistakes (e.g., confusing a noisy crowd for a single intention).
What's missing?
We can't have the full picture without relevance realization, which is how we come to place our attention on certain aspects over others at all. Imagine you're late for an appointment and you can't find your keys. Your brain quietly tosses out 99.9% of the room (ceiling fan, bookshelf color, plant vibes) and zooms on likely zones: table, jacket, bag. That’s relevance realization pruning noise.
Participation scales with other minds. Dialogue and communitas help recalibrate the very settings that guide attention and action. In distributed cognition, groups track more of the world than any individual can, yielding better “fit” and fewer category mistakes (e.g., confusing a noisy crowd for a single intention).
What's missing?
We can't have the full picture without relevance realization, which is how we come to place our attention on certain aspects over others at all. Imagine you're late for an appointment and you can't find your keys. Your brain quietly tosses out 99.9% of the room (ceiling fan, bookshelf color, plant vibes) and zooms on likely zones: table, jacket, bag. That’s relevance realization pruning noise.
Participation scales with other minds. Dialogue and communitas help recalibrate the very settings that guide attention and action. In distributed cognition, groups track more of the world than any individual can, yielding better “fit” and fewer category mistakes (e.g., confusing a noisy crowd for a single intention).
“All real living is meeting.”
— Martin Buber, I and Thou
“All real living is meeting.”
— Martin Buber, I and Thou
“All real living is meeting.”
— Martin Buber, I and Thou
What TIAMAT offers
In practice, you learn how you and the situation shape each other so real options show up on time. Then you train your eye to notice the ones that actually help. Soon, under pressure, the basics feel obvious: ask a clean question, clarify the facts, set a small boundary, take a breath. Think of it like re-tuning your attention so the world offers clearer “handles,” and your hands are ready to grab the right one.
What TIAMAT offers
In practice, you learn how you and the situation shape each other so real options show up on time. Then you train your eye to notice the ones that actually help. Soon, under pressure, the basics feel obvious: ask a clean question, clarify the facts, set a small boundary, take a breath. Think of it like re-tuning your attention so the world offers clearer “handles,” and your hands are ready to grab the right one.
What TIAMAT offers
In practice, you learn how you and the situation shape each other so real options show up on time. Then you train your eye to notice the ones that actually help. Soon, under pressure, the basics feel obvious: ask a clean question, clarify the facts, set a small boundary, take a breath. Think of it like re-tuning your attention so the world offers clearer “handles,” and your hands are ready to grab the right one.
How?
We practice being with the situation, not just thinking about it. First, you notice where your attention stops tracking what’s actually in front of you. Then you rehearse small, paired moves that rejoin the moment (look/listen, name/ask, pause/act) until they work while you’re under pressure. As that lands, the world stops feeling like an opponent and starts feeling collaborative: cues make sense, timing clicks, and your actions fit the scene because you’re participating in it, not hovering above it.
We’re building second nature in relationship to tasks, places, and people. Repeated fittings become skills you can use anywhere: you sense what the situation affords, coordinate with others, and choose moves that help the shared task along. It stops being about “me versus the world” and turns into “us with the world.” You participate earlier, more accurately, and with less effort, like catching a rhythm instead of forcing the beat. Over time, that participation becomes your baseline: you enter rooms ready to coordinate, not to conquer.
How?
We practice being with the situation, not just thinking about it. First, you notice where your attention stops tracking what’s actually in front of you. Then you rehearse small, paired moves that rejoin the moment (look/listen, name/ask, pause/act) until they work while you’re under pressure. As that lands, the world stops feeling like an opponent and starts feeling collaborative: cues make sense, timing clicks, and your actions fit the scene because you’re participating in it, not hovering above it.
We’re building second nature in relationship to tasks, places, and people. Repeated fittings become skills you can use anywhere: you sense what the situation affords, coordinate with others, and choose moves that help the shared task along. It stops being about “me versus the world” and turns into “us with the world.” You participate earlier, more accurately, and with less effort, like catching a rhythm instead of forcing the beat. Over time, that participation becomes your baseline: you enter rooms ready to coordinate, not to conquer.
How?
We practice being with the situation, not just thinking about it. First, you notice where your attention stops tracking what’s actually in front of you. Then you rehearse small, paired moves that rejoin the moment (look/listen, name/ask, pause/act) until they work while you’re under pressure. As that lands, the world stops feeling like an opponent and starts feeling collaborative: cues make sense, timing clicks, and your actions fit the scene because you’re participating in it, not hovering above it.
We’re building second nature in relationship to tasks, places, and people. Repeated fittings become skills you can use anywhere: you sense what the situation affords, coordinate with others, and choose moves that help the shared task along. It stops being about “me versus the world” and turns into “us with the world.” You participate earlier, more accurately, and with less effort, like catching a rhythm instead of forcing the beat. Over time, that participation becomes your baseline: you enter rooms ready to coordinate, not to conquer.