How much the present moment means

How much the present moment means
To those who’ve nothing more –

The Fop – the Carp – the Atheist –

Stake an entire store

Opon a moment’s shallow Rim

While their commuted Feet

The Torrents of Eternity

Do all but inundate –

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Often in life, people attempt to use religion, love, family, etc. to get aligned with a greater purpose. Rather than focusing on the small, fading moments, they dedicate their attention to the bigger picture and how each of those small moments work to craft it. On the other end of this spectrum are those who depend on the present for meaning. These are the “fops,” “carps,” and the “atheists,” or in other words, the vain, pessimistic, unbelievers.

Vain individuals, or “fops” as Dickinson calls them, place more emphasis on inconsequential things like appearance, clothing, and jewelry. With only their personal agendas in mind, these are the types of individuals to be swept away by trends; since the sum of their purpose is wrapped into how every moment serves to benefit them, they develop obsessions with remaining relevant and in the know. Big picture issues are of no importance to them as the focus is inevitably taken away from them and shifted to the well-being of others.

“Carps” are defined as complainers or those who look for fault in every situation. When people have this sort of mindset, it is because they have an inability to see beyond present circumstance and prioritize issues. For instance, a simple inconvenience such as having to park farther from one’s destination than intended would hold the potential to ruin a carp’s entire day. Rather than weighing the issue against larger struggles like world hunger, poverty, or those who lack transportation entirely, they will magnify the situation.

            The last group that Dickinson mentions are atheists which are individuals who do not believe in a god. In the case of this group, without the existence of a supreme being or higher purpose, there is no true reason to consider a “bigger picture.” For them, life is made up of small moments and how each moment affects the next is of no consequence; the only priority is satisfaction of the present. When speaking on this need to be seen, Gary Lee Stonum said, “An existence oriented toward the masses, spent in pursuit of recognition, exhausts life but bears no fruit; it does not end the need for self-understanding” (179). In saying this, he suggests that a life consumed by shallow ideals is devoid of meaning and significance. This quote brings to mind Mark 8:36 which reads, “What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul?” These individuals – like those addressed in the scripture – chase the temporary satisfactions of the world while dismissing the permanence of that which truly matters. Their souls. 

           With this poem, Dickinson is making a similar argument as she subtly belittles them for placing too much significance on fleeting moments. The final two lines harp on this ignorance to time and the existence of an afterlife. The use of “commuted” which means redeemed, is suggestive of Christ dying for the sins of the world. With this definition in mind, a rough interpretation of the closing lines would be that these people do not acknowledge the sacrifice which was made for them, nor are they privy to the waves of reality looming over them in every moment. As depicted in the image above, the inevitable “torrent” awaits them. Whether they choose to believe in something bigger or not, truth will always be there waiting to reveal itself.

Stonum, Gary Lee, et al. Emily Dickinson and Philosophy. Cambridge University Press, 2013.