Abstraction is like a multi story building. The concrete at the bottom is unrefined unprocessed raw sensory present moment experience. Building up, a floor is

Abstraction is like a multi story building. The concrete at the bottom is unrefined unprocessed raw sensory present moment experience. Building up, a floor is an abstraction built on top of that concrete floor. The concept of addition could be seen as a first floor. As we know, math builds on to of itself. The farther up the tower you go, the more abstract. Abstractions require a solid foundation, be it a floor below, or concrete. So, when I struggle with an abstraction, I look at its base parts, identifying what is required to understand the abstraction. What I find is I often do not understand a prerequisite as well as I think I do. Sometimes I have to go multiple levels down to hash something out, but once the abstraction clicks, it becomes effortless and as difficult to think about as any other word I use in English to talk and think. Getting a solid foundation can be a time consuming process. If you go slow and relax, you'll find the missing pieces and everything will come together.