Counterclockwise: Rethinking Time Series Part 1

Part 1: Straight or Something More?

As a teenager, there are many things in life that are very, very perplexing. Though responsibility, relationships, and identity are among some of the most confusing, the greatest conundrum for teens by far is the concept of time. Whether it be managing our time or passing our time, our entire understanding of “time” is very, very hazy.

In our cultural lexicon, we have many expressions to describe our usage of time that seem quite contradictory. We have to use our time wisely, so that we don’t run out of time later. If we are bored we are killing time, yet if we are in a rush we are running out of time. And if we are truly unbothered by anything else in the world, we are taking our time. With such different ideas on time, its usage, and its meaning, it’s no wonder that time remains one of the most baffling concepts for teens and adults to grasp today.  As this concept continues to puzzle even myself, it is truly time to create a series to clarify a few things about what time is, how it works, and what we still don’t understand.

So, what exactly is time? The friend? The enemy? The frenemy? Or anything at all?

Throughout the ages, science, religion, and philosophy have attempted numerous explanations of time. In our Western society, the most prevalent time theory is ‘linear perspective’. Based upon Isaac Newton’s theory of time as absolute, time is perceived as a point upon a straight line that moves only in a single direction. The concept of past, present, and future finds its roots in this ‘timeline’ movement, as the past and future are everything that is not directly that singular moment. Consequently, this has driven our society to be ‘time-centric’, and to live the philosophy of “live by the clock, die by the clock”.

So, despite our complex developments and achievements, our concept of time remains quite archaic. Simply, there must be more to this puzzle, or more gears in this clockwork. And there is. The man to prove this was none other than Albert Einstein. During his work with the Theory of Relativity, Einstein found out that time itself is relative, and not absolute. Within his findings, the perception of time was based upon the spatial reference frame of the observer (position), the speed that they are traveling, and oddly, time itself. From this concept, Einstein discovered that it is possible to have two people who are going different speeds to experience time as either going faster or slower, even though the same amount of time had passed. By understanding that space, motion, and time are all variables, an entirely new dimension had to be created, called the Space-Time Continuum. In this dimension, perspective influences time, and changes in perception lead to changes in time. Basically, with the concept of the fourth dimension, Einstein discovered that the past, the present, and the future all exist simultaneously. He even stated, “…for us physicists believe the separation between past, present, and future is only an illusion, although a convincing one.” Wow.

With this development, overlap is occurring with science and spirituality. As the New Age view of time is of the Ultimate Now, the existence of past, present, and future as one is becoming more and more recognized. As we acknowledge time being used simply as another perspective to understand our journey, it simply becomes a means of comparison. To understand Who We Are, we have to know Who We Were to have a vision of Who We Want to Be. Yet, at the same time, we know that we are all of these things at once. As Albert Einstein concluded, “The only reason for time is so that everything doesn’t happen at once.” Truly, time is one of the universe’s finest dichotomies.

Simply, our perspective of time must go beyond ‘the straight and narrow’. Though it may challenge every prior concept you have held about time, ponder over this different perspective. Trust me, it will be worth your time.  

(Lauren is a Feature Editor of The Global Conversation. She lives in Wood Dale, IL, and can be reached at Lauren@TheGlobalConversation.com)

 

Comments

5 responses to “Counterclockwise: Rethinking Time Series Part 1”

  1. Erin/IAm Avatar
    Erin/IAm

    Girl, you never cease to Amaze! 🙂

    It is funny that you came upon this inspiration about Time. The past 2 years of my own time has provided personal discoveries of ‘night’ & ‘day’. I was able to experience the ‘night shift’ of sleeping during the day & being up with no sun…actually, I did this because of a ‘son’…who works from 6pm to 6am, and seemed to have such a ‘tough time’ getting back to ‘normal time’ whenever he came home from a long stint of this shift.

    There is much Life going on in the wee hours that most sleep through & never See. The Nature of Night is a bit different than that of Day…the creatures about during this time are interesting, the peacefulness is soothing (no phones ring, no chatting need be done, no traffic noise)…but funny how ‘the dark’ perceptions We have gathered run pretty deep. Once these are Seen, they can be dismissed…Now I feel like I have All-the-day to play in.

    (Yes, I do sleep…but I seem to run quite nicely on 2-4 hr. stints, rather than 8-straight & it makes for easier adjusting to schedules of everyone else’s days…or nights.) 🙂

    Thanks for your post, Lauren…It is wonderful food for thought! 🙂

  2. Ionic breeze Avatar
    Ionic breeze

    I love this post! I really do. It’s about something so complex, yet so straight forwardly stated. Nice job, Lauren.

    Time is a construct. We can break these constructions we’ve created with our intentions. We can move and groove in and out of God’s heart, in and out of realms, in and out of time, in and out of space. Both are not real per se. God is everywhere in every time, in every space of love. Love is an Amness, an energy that includes life here now in 2013, there then in 2002, or where when in the future, relative to me here now typing this, in 2,515. hmmm I thought time was real that is until I experienced a cut in time one day recently. I did experience a cut. I looked up and two hours had passed, like it seemed in a second, but it felt like no time had passed. Sometimes, when I meditate this happens, but that is understandable. This was different. This was a lapse so to speak in presence that I was aware of.

    I asked God about it, and he says this,

    “Time never was meant to create stagnation. Time was meant to create life. Time was meant to create life, wherever life decide to be in life. You leave freely, when you meditate, when you dream. You always have free will always in life to be where you choose to be. Be where you deem being truly present in life. Be present always in life. You are the present. You are the present always living life for life. Where do you live life? That’s the only question you need to answer, always in life. You can be living here day to day, there tomorrow day to day or you can really live moment by moment in the only moment there is, so to speak. Life is really only a moment long. Wow. Think of that. How can you conceive of me as one second. A second is all I Am. When you conceive of me, you hear me, you see me, you feel me everywhere I Am. You know me. I’m everywhere, so you feel me in everything I’m in, as long as it’s love. You know me. I am only in love. When you paint, you love. When you lift life for life with a smile, a true smile with another, you lose the day to day drudgery of time. You suddenly enter a notime, a notime zone that is devoid of all monotony. You gain real life. You gain real life, because you gain real presence. So, be where you choose. Choose where you are being fully present. Lift life where you want to be always present in the now, the true now of the true moment, this true moment. Choose where you are being truly herenow in all here nows of every life. All life is part of all life. The now of this life contains the past, the present, the future of all life, all life living love. If you live love, you are here with me in this moment. We are together forever in all moments of love simultaneously, and that’s what Laura points out so pointedly here. Not an easy thing to understand. Many find it difficult to conceive of me being omnipresent, here, there, everywhere with all life, not just people, but with all life simultaneously. When you first heard me, Michelle, speak in a way that you knew was not consciously your words through you, you thought I should race off to help someone in need, like an ambulance, remember? You said, “I’m really taking all of your time, God. I have been talking for hours to you. Really I don’t need you that bad. There’s probably an ambulance you need to go to. Somewhere someone’s in need. And, I said this to you, and I say it to all here. I am with you always. Forever I am. I have all the time in the world. You are mine. I am yours. We are love, and love is energy. Love moves in and out of time in a second. Why not love move here in all life like this Woosh Woosh and I am here. Woosh and I am here. Always I am a woosh in and out of love, in and out of those who decide to be me. I bring all love to all love. I exchange it. I bring love to love. I bring you to you. I bring me to me. We are one love. Hi Ho He At that time, you were still operating on the conception of me that many have still, that is that I am here or there, but not both, not simultaneously. They don’t teach you this, not yet. Those who know me well know I am everywhere always in life. I am you. I am him. I am that rock. I am that table, that painting, that vase of flowers. I am that dog. Believe me, I am that dog. I am with you always and forever. I am that I am. Love is always present. Love is. I Am wherever love is. Love is what you are. Love is what we are when we come together in love. I live you as you live me. I live you as you love. I live you as you love all of me. I am All Love. I am you and you and you. Live my love as I live it. Live all of me in love, and you will always be present. You will always be everywhere I Am. I Am I Am, and so are you. Hi Ho He Love, God I Am”

    well, that’s all for now. Love to all,

    Ionic Breeze

  3. Ionic breeze Avatar
    Ionic breeze

    Erin,

    I notice the same thing. 2-4 hours is about all I need. We must be breathing the same air 🙂

    Love to you,

    Ionic breeze

  4. Lauren Avatar
    Lauren

    I have noticed the same idea about night and day. Due to this, I end up doing all my writing at 3am. So much more peaceful

  5. Laura Pringle Avatar
    Laura Pringle

    Great article, Lauren! Thanks for sharing your insights and wisdom. Einstein had so much to teach us. It must’ve been so mind-boggling to step into the understandings he experienced as he discovered those truths!!! WOW!

    I’ve always thought of time as earth’s heartbeat- it pulses through everything as a way to differentiate the moments- but if you stopped blinking for a while, you’d see everything as the blur that it really is…

    My boyfriend loves to be up at night- he cherishes the early morning hours… I suppose I’ll give it a try when I’m no longer at the mercy of work and school schedules. I used to wake up at 3 am very regularly, and have enlightening insights which I’d write down and ponder the next day, and think, (Really? 😉

    Can’t wait to get to that point of not needing as much sleep…. not there yet…

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