The Boundaries of Consciousness: Concrete Experience Versus Infinite Potential

In each of us lies the amazing ability to perceive only that which is concretely presented to our consciousness here and now. Our experience is composed of clear, tangible moments, closely interwoven with the hazy horizons of potential that, by their very nature, remain inaccessible and never attain full concreteness. It is exactly here that the boundary is drawn between what we can grasp and what remains beyond our understanding.

Our perception is structured in such a way that it limits reality by allowing us to capture only what has already become apparent, leaving untouched everything that might extend beyond the confines of our experience. This dynamic struggle between the fixed and the potential, between primary knowledge and boundless mystery, gives our worldview its meaning. The limitations of our ability to know are not random coincidences—they are dictated by the very nature of consciousness, which can only provide clarity for what already exists.

This understanding not only raises questions about the limits of human experience but also encourages the search for new forms and models of thinking that can bring us closer to the infinite world of potential. For it is in this quest that we begin to realize that beyond the realm of the obvious lie inexhaustible possibilities that evoke wonder and a burning desire for new discoveries.

Why is reality limited to what exists, and why does the impossible remain unreachable?

Reality is defined by the confines of what we can perceive and concretely define—that is precisely its limitation. On one hand, our consciousness is capable of grasping only those contents that are distinctly and concretely presented, that is, what exists in the moment. Everything that lies beyond these boundaries remains in the realm of potential, never achieving full concreteness and, therefore, not becoming part of our reality.

As noted in one text, human experience is built on an alternation between strictly defined, concrete states and the states of potential, where “that which is impossible for humans is possible for God.” This emphasizes that what remains unattainable within the scope of grounded, empirical experience is essentially so because the inner nature of human cognition is categorical and cannot encompass the boundless unachievable:
"To find a form or formula that would forever make such a combination possible ... an unattainable ideal" (source: 1268_6335.txt).

In addition, another philosophical text points out that the realm of immediate, actual experience is limited, and that is exactly how the reality of our consciousness is constructed: it encompasses only “that which is given,” while the potential remains outside its bounds, even though this potential is, in some way, already inherent in being itself. Thus, reality is defined by the boundaries of what can be comprehended and concretely experienced, leaving everything that exceeds these limits unattainable:
"By virtue of this relation, absolute being, from the perspective of consciousness, is divided into ‘actually given’ and ‘potentially existing’ contents: the limited realm of ‘the given’ is surrounded by the boundless backdrop of the ‘unknown’ ... the realm of the given does not exhaust the entirety of what is." (source: 1269_6341.txt)

Thus, the limitations of reality and the unattainability of the impossible arise from the very nature of our cognition, which is only capable of capturing and defining those aspects of existence that are accessible and concretized at any given moment. This is not so much a result of objective laws as it is conditioned by the inner structure of consciousness, which operates on the principle of concretizing and fixating upon the experience already acquired.

Supporting citation(s):
"To find a form or formula that would forever make such a combination possible ... an unattainable ideal" (source: 1268_6335.txt)
"By virtue of this relation, absolute being, from the perspective of consciousness, is divided into ‘actually given’ and ‘potentially existing’ contents: the limited realm of ‘the given’ is surrounded by the boundless backdrop of the ‘unknown’ ... the realm of the given does not exhaust the entirety of what is." (source: 1269_6341.txt)