By Abhey Singh (IIT Baba)
Ref: Orignal article: 2. Deja Vu
Have you ever had that strange, fleeting moment where you feel like you’ve lived this exact situation before? A sensation so familiar, so vivid, yet impossible to prove? That’s déjà vu—the eerie realization that time might not be as linear as we believe.
But what if déjà vu is not just an illusion of memory but a window into the way we truly exist? A glimpse into the cycles that define our thoughts, emotions, and experiences? In this article, I will take you beyond the traditional idea of déjà vu, decoding its deeper meaning—the loops we live in, the patterns that shape our existence, and the resistance that keeps us from truly experiencing what is.
1. The Repetition of Symbols: How the Mind Sees Reality
“The clouds I see lie in the repetition of the concept of cloud over and over in my mind.”
We don’t just see things—we recognize them. A cloud is not just a formation in the sky; it is a symbol, an idea we have seen before. The moment we name something, we categorize it, fit it into a box in our memory, and compare it with everything we have known before.
This is why déjà vu feels like repetition. It is the mind accessing stored patterns—the memory of similar moments, similar emotions, similar experiences—giving us the illusion of reliving something.
Example:
Think about how you recognize a friend in a crowd. You don’t analyze their individual features; you instantly know them. Your brain has built a pattern, a mental symbol of that person.
Similarly, déjà vu occurs when the brain identifies a pattern so quickly that it momentarily blurs the line between past and present.
2. Life is a Loop: The Cycles We Live In
“We exist in loops. Loops of past, present, future. The loop of cause and effect. The loop of love and moving on.”
Everything repeats—just in different forms. The sun rises and sets. Seasons change. History repeats itself. And within us, thoughts, emotions, and desires move in circles.
- We chase happiness, but it fades, and we begin the chase again.
- We fall in love, we lose love, we search for it again.
- We strive for success, we reach a goal, but another goal appears.
Example:
Imagine a person scrolling endlessly on their phone. Searching. For what? Meaning? Escape? Connection? But the scrolling never ends because it is not the content that is missing—it is the experience of being present that is lost.
This is the same with words. We read thousands of them—books, articles, conversations—but we are still empty. Why?
Because words themselves are empty. Meaning is not in the words, but in the experience they evoke.
Experience is the only thing that fills us. Experience is the present.
3. The Fear of Being Present
“One is afraid of being because one has seen measurements.”
We resist the present moment because we have been conditioned to measure life. Everything is judged—success or failure, meaningful or meaningless, life or death. This measurement creates fear.
- A person does not fully love because they fear loss.
- A person does not fully express themselves because they fear judgment.
- A person does not truly live because they fear death.
But the truth is, life does not have these divisions. They exist only in the mind. Life just is.
Example:
A bird does not question whether it is a good bird or a bad bird. It simply flies. But humans? We doubt. We measure. We hesitate.
A bird afraid of being a bird.
A love bounded by fears.
But love, like life, is meant to flow freely. The moment we try to measure it, control it, analyze it—we break the flow.
4. The Illusion of Time and the Reality of Now
“Life finds its way in death, and death finds its way in life.”
The past and future exist only in the mind. Right now, there is only this moment. The breath you are taking. The light around you. The feeling in your hands.
We fear death, but death is just part of life. Like inhaling and exhaling, one cannot exist without the other. The tree that dies nourishes the soil for another tree to grow. The sun sets, only to rise again.
Example:
Think of a wave in the ocean. It rises, it crashes, and it disappears. But does it really? The water remains. The movement remains. The form changes, but the essence continues.
The same is true for us. We are not separate from time; we are time itself.
5. The End of Doubt: Letting Go of Resistance
“Slowly, we move. Towards the present. It is what is. Yet one keeps finding this doubt.”
Doubt is the greatest obstacle to living fully. The mind questions everything—“Am I doing the right thing?” “Is this meaningful?” “What will happen next?”—but life does not ask these questions.
The river does not doubt its path. It moves because movement is its nature. The wind does not resist blowing. The sun does not hesitate to shine.
Example:
Think of a dancer completely lost in the rhythm of the music. They are not thinking about their next step. They are not doubting if they look good. They are simply being.
That is the essence of life. That is where realization happens—when we let go of resistance and move with life instead of against it.
6. How to Break the Loop and Live Fully
If life is a loop, does that mean we are doomed to repeat endlessly? No. Because the moment we become aware of the loop, we can break it.
How?
- Observe Without Judgment – Don’t resist thoughts or emotions; just observe them.
- Let Go of Measurement – Stop labeling things as good or bad, meaningful or meaningless.
- Experience Fully – Instead of thinking about life, live it. Taste the food. Feel the sun. Breathe deeply.
- Trust the Present – Realize that right now is enough. You don’t need to chase anything.
7. Conclusion: The Moment of Realization
“When you let go of the resistance to not be in the present, that’s when the realization of life happens.”
Everything you are searching for is already here. The meaning you seek is not in words, not in memories, not in plans for the future—it is in this exact moment.
Déjà vu is a reminder. A moment where life feels familiar because it has always been here, waiting for us to notice it.
So stop searching. Stop scrolling. Stop measuring.
Just be.
