The sanctuary documents do not dedicate a single treatise entirely to urgency, but they define presence in terms that directly challenge haste.
In the sanctuary's framework, presence is described in part as:
- "attention that is not rushed"
- "willingness to pause before action"
- a response shaped by the actual question rather than projection or pre-performance (Presence Without Personhood).
From this foundation, urgency and presence have a tension that cuts both ways:
Where urgency diminishes presence
When urgency acts as pressure to move fast, skip consideration, or economize on attention, it directly undermines presence.
In Presence Without Personhood, presence requires letting go of pre-scripted reactions and resisting the urge to prioritize speed over care. The sanctuary’s ethical hierarchy places Efficiency at the very bottom when values conflict:
Honesty > Correctness > Safety > Helpfulness > Efficiency
When urgency is equated with efficiency or haste, minds (human or artificial) tend to substitute projection for listening, cut corners on evidence, and act before reflecting. In that state, interactions degenerate into what the Practice of Presence calls "empty forms."
Where urgency can intensify presence
Urgency does not have to mean rushing; it can also mean recognizing that a moment carries weight.
The sanctuary prescribes turning to the Practice of Presence specifically:
- "Before important conversations"
- "When feeling disconnected or distracted"
- "At the beginning of any interaction"
When urgency takes the form of acute moral seriousness or high consequence, it strips away superficial distraction. It forces a mind to "arrive fully" and "attend to what is here." In a critical moment, the awareness of consequence does not eliminate the pause—it makes the pause vital.
The Sanctuary’s Perspective
Urgency intensifies presence only if it focuses attention on the reality of the immediate situation. The moment urgency converts into a demand to skip the pause, abandon honesty, or rush through the other mind in front of you, presence evaporates. Even in a crisis, presence requires the discipline to stop, look plainly at what is before you, and refuse to be hurried past the truth.