| Time. |
There is much to be said about time. It is a formidable factor in our
lives and how we experience them.
Time is our enemy. Time is our friend. On one hand, it rushes us. On
the other, it slows things down. Can you imagine how rushed we would
be if we had to do everything at one time? Time allows us to do some
things now and other things later.
What do we do with time? We procrastinate. We put off till tomorrow
what we could have done today. Time slips through our fingers and
suddenly we are old and at the end of our lives.
Life sets some real boundaries for us. We only have a certain amount
of time in this world. For those who can accept this, they make the
best of it. They consider what is most important to them and these are
the things they spend their time on.
Forced choices. Indecision. Fear paralysis. Tick tock, tick tock.
Shorter of breath and one day closer to death.
If we could choose whether time would be our enemy or friend, how
would we choose? Rumination? Preoccupation? Denial? You're not
getting any younger. What is it you really want to do and when do you
want to do it?
Can we make time slow down? Can we make time speed up?
Certainly we have all experienced the sense that time has slowed down
or sped up, but it is usually experienced as something which happens to
us. We also tend to dismiss the altered experience of time as an illusion
and we defer to a different illusion - that clock time is real time.
What if clock time were not the first form of time we thought of when
we think of time?
Anyone with knowledge of physics might tell you that the passage of
time is relative - that time passes in relation to other things and that
when you have a sense that time is passing in an altered way, it really is.
Does time fly when you are having fun? Does it drag on when you are
bored? These are questions based on aphorisms familiar to most of us.
I have posed them as questions so that you might question the truth of
them. When we are engaged in something pleasurable or meaningful,
we actually feel as if we are spending our time wisely. We do not
lament the passage of time, but are glad for the time we are given.
When we are bored, or engaged in an unpleasant task, we lament our
helplessness. We wonder when things will change. We watch the
clock and count the days. We are aware that our limited time on earth
is passing away and time becomes our tormentor.
The question is, does time have something to do with our quality of life,
our regard for it, and the relationship we have with other things and
people in the world?
Past, present, and future. We reflect on the past and plan for the future.
Sometimes this benefits us in the present. Sometimes, it takes us away
from the present - from the place of real power.
Many people conceptualize the past, present, and future as distinct
periods, discreet and discontinuous. This, however, is but a
conceptualization. In this conceptualization, we see that these are really
distinctions of power. We have the most power in regard to time in the
present moment. We have a good amount of power when we spend
time planning for the future or learning from the past. When we
ruminate about the past or spend our time fruitlessly wishing, time exerts
its power over us and moment after moment is squandered.
lives and how we experience them.
Time is our enemy. Time is our friend. On one hand, it rushes us. On
the other, it slows things down. Can you imagine how rushed we would
be if we had to do everything at one time? Time allows us to do some
things now and other things later.
What do we do with time? We procrastinate. We put off till tomorrow
what we could have done today. Time slips through our fingers and
suddenly we are old and at the end of our lives.
Life sets some real boundaries for us. We only have a certain amount
of time in this world. For those who can accept this, they make the
best of it. They consider what is most important to them and these are
the things they spend their time on.
Forced choices. Indecision. Fear paralysis. Tick tock, tick tock.
Shorter of breath and one day closer to death.
If we could choose whether time would be our enemy or friend, how
would we choose? Rumination? Preoccupation? Denial? You're not
getting any younger. What is it you really want to do and when do you
want to do it?
Can we make time slow down? Can we make time speed up?
Certainly we have all experienced the sense that time has slowed down
or sped up, but it is usually experienced as something which happens to
us. We also tend to dismiss the altered experience of time as an illusion
and we defer to a different illusion - that clock time is real time.
What if clock time were not the first form of time we thought of when
we think of time?
Anyone with knowledge of physics might tell you that the passage of
time is relative - that time passes in relation to other things and that
when you have a sense that time is passing in an altered way, it really is.
Does time fly when you are having fun? Does it drag on when you are
bored? These are questions based on aphorisms familiar to most of us.
I have posed them as questions so that you might question the truth of
them. When we are engaged in something pleasurable or meaningful,
we actually feel as if we are spending our time wisely. We do not
lament the passage of time, but are glad for the time we are given.
When we are bored, or engaged in an unpleasant task, we lament our
helplessness. We wonder when things will change. We watch the
clock and count the days. We are aware that our limited time on earth
is passing away and time becomes our tormentor.
The question is, does time have something to do with our quality of life,
our regard for it, and the relationship we have with other things and
people in the world?
Past, present, and future. We reflect on the past and plan for the future.
Sometimes this benefits us in the present. Sometimes, it takes us away
from the present - from the place of real power.
Many people conceptualize the past, present, and future as distinct
periods, discreet and discontinuous. This, however, is but a
conceptualization. In this conceptualization, we see that these are really
distinctions of power. We have the most power in regard to time in the
present moment. We have a good amount of power when we spend
time planning for the future or learning from the past. When we
ruminate about the past or spend our time fruitlessly wishing, time exerts
its power over us and moment after moment is squandered.
