Time is one of those things that does not exist as an
independent entity.
Rather, it is merely an ''instrument'' that we use to measure
the spatial position of objects relative to each other.
Time, perhaps we could say, exists as a cognitive instrument for
measuring change.
The thing with time is that we use the term as if it ''real'',
something tangible, but is it?
Many of us may think of time in terms of clock faces, almanacs,
calendars, the movement of the sun and the moon etc.
but here's the thing: time has no physical properties.
But, regardless of how we define time, for human
beings,..... time matters.
Irrespective of how we measure time, on this planet
we call earth, it seems almost everything has a beginning
and an end. Although, sometimes the ''end'' may be more
of a transformation from one entity to another.
Take butterflies for instance. They go through four
metamorphic stages: from egg to lava to pupa to adult.
Once they become winged butterflies, in human terms
they usually live for two to three weeks.
Science says that everything alive will eventually die,
that we cannot have life without death.
Uncomfortable as that truth may be, is there not also
something beautiful in it? Life becoming ever so precious
because it will not last forever...?
Even us humans go through metamorphic stages:
from embryo to (if we are fortunate enough) to senior
citizens.
Each stage we experience lasts for a certain amount of time
and affects how we experience our bodies and minds.
And as time passes, how we spend it, and who we spend
it with, for many of us tend to become more and more
important.
Time, as far as we know, only moves in a forward direction.
Except, for in our minds.
Our minds(another intangible human construct) may I
suggest, can be viewed as ''time machines''.
With our minds we can ''travel'' back in time with the help
of memories, we can travel into the future with the
help of our imagination, or we can use our minds
to help us to be firmly fixed on the present.
Although we can shift from the past to the future in a
split second, we can only ever live in the present.
And the present, shifts from the present to the past
in a millisecond because, as science has established,
what we call ''time'' always moves forward.
Although time always moves forward it can be experienced
in a number of different ways:
''time flies, time stands still, we can be ahead of time,
behind time, we can experience
bad times, good times, uncertain times.
We can live on borrowed time, we can calculate
estimated time, we can be wasting time, saving time,
killing time, etc. etc. etc.''
How we experience the passing of time often has a lot to do
with what we are doing.
Having a root canal ->slow, having fun ->fast,
waiting for a teenager to come home -> super slow,
having a relaxing massage ->super fast, waiting for
the bus, train, tram etc. -> slow, watching a good movie
->fast..........and so on.
Perhaps ascribing an assortment of qualities and other
attributes to time may be a feeble
attempt on our behalf in order to make time seem more
''real'', more tangible because, us humans methinks,
do not like uncertainty or the ''unknown''.
We can worry about the future but not the past.
We can have regrets about the past but not the future.
We can't rewrite the past nor know what will happen
in the future, we can only control what we will do right now.
If we are stuck between the past and what may
be in the future, the present moment will be lost.
For well being and good health I believe a good
thing to do is to set our ''time machines''
to NOW as often as possible.
''Know the true value of time; snatch, seize and
enjoy every moment of it.
No idleness, no laziness, no procrastination: never
put off till tomorrow what you can do today.''
(Philip Stanhope, 4th Earl of Chesterfield)
about the image: acrylic on large canvas
''I think I'm just gonna sit now''
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