Groovy.
Where is that? (i.e. Where is Ohio?)
Surrounded by the state of Maryland, in the country USA.
Is the answer: I don’t know. ?
Where is the USA?
North American continent, northern hemisphere, planet earth
Where’s that? (Planet Earth)
the solar system, in the Milky Way Galaxy (imagine whoever came up with that, “Milky Way,” what a ridiculous sounding name haha), in some pocket of space, somewhere in the universe
Where’s that? (universe).
well, supposedly, the universe is everywhere there is.
Okay, so the question becomes - Is it even possible to know where one is, unless it is in relation to something else?
And following this question, is it even possible to know where that “something else” is, and so on.
With this, we are in the realm of the Zen Koan, where there is definitely an answer, though it may not be one which is derived exclusively from the intellect.
No. I guess that’s the whole point of asking “where?” - it’s a call for reference.
What would it mean to really know where something is? If the idea of location (where) is essentially relational, then you can really know where something is just by providing reference and context.
As would be a question of who, as in, Who are you? Or a question of what, how, etc.
What would it mean to you?
Well, in life, knowing where something is usually just means knowing how to get there.
And the next place I’m about to go to is my bed, and I’ll be there for a good while (though it never feels long enough). But eventually I’ll come back to where I am now and try to pick up where we left off.
Excellent point, but once you’ve arrived, where was that?
Let’s use some visualization:
Let’s say you are in your room staring up and the ceiling. Where are you now?
Or you are on a mountain top after a long hard climb, looking down on the valley below as it spreads toward the horizon. Where are you?
Or, you are in the middle of bustling downtown, on the corner with all the noisy city’s energy all around. Where are you?
Or, you are on the headlands at the ocean’s edge with the salt mist enveloping your senses. Where are you now?
Or, you are at your desk with the lamp nearby, keying in text for someone on the other side of the world to read. But where are you now?
Tip: As I hinted before, the answer is super-simple… In fact, it is a one word answer; one that you’ve probably given over your cell phone a thousand times.
Personally, when I was given this question I had to expand my horizons just a bit before I was able to know the answer. In other words, this was one answer I had to first grow into.
I’m here.
“Mom, where are you?” “I’m right here, Sweetie.”
Your close, perhaps just a fraction off.
Where is here?
I edited this while you were posting your reply. Does that change anything? I am wherever my child–or the universal ‘you’–needs me to be.
No change to the reply. You are very close however. Another hint: The answer is about as down-to-earth as it gets.