And then in a blink it is 2024!! Seriously, it feels like I just wrote the blog for the 2023 New Year. I think the most unsettling thing about this time warp is that it is happening in all aspects of my life. It seems impossible to slow time down – even a little bit. Possessing this perspective on time pushed me to look at the illusion of time.
This turned out to be a daunting task. Neither scientist or philosophers really know what time is or why it exists. And just as I expressed my uneasiness over the swift passage of time, sentiments about time have been captured by poets and artists. The 17th century poet Robert Herrick coined the phrase “time flies.” Shakespeare wrote of the “whirligig of time.” Even though these sentiments transcend time, physicists insist that time doesn’t flow at all, it just is.
We divide time into past, present and future. Reality of time rests in the present. The past is not existent, and the future is not formed yet. The present is fleeting, always moving from the past to the future. Modern science has just begun to consider the question of how we perceive the passage of time. One of the possibilities presented is that our perception of the flow of time is linked in some way to quantum mechanics. I have dabbled in learning about quantum mechanics and have a basic understanding of the process and outcomes. However, it is far too complex for me to even try to give a basic understanding of the process. So, I am going to jump ahead to a postulate that the flow of time has to do with the consciousness of the observer. A few researchers, such as Roger Penrose of the University of Oxford, maintain that consciousness — including the impression of time flux — could be related to quantum processes that take place in the brain. We make the conscious decision of noting the here and now.
If we are creating the present by our thoughts, then we have more control than we imagine over the passage of time. Consider the practice of mindfulness. Total attention is paid to the present. It is impossible to slow down present time if we are not intentional with our thoughts and perceptions. Embracing the present before it becomes the past builds the library of memories we carry. Then instead of feeling that time has passed you by, you have memories to support where time has gone.
This is indeed a simplistic approach to capturing your time. But with the start of a new year, it is possible to slow down time to capture all your thoughts and actions by being intentional with mindfulness. Every moment counts!
I don’t usually endorse a book when I am writing my blogs. But my friend, Debbie Hampton, founder of the Best Brain Possible, just released her newest book, Mindfulness. This book takes a deep dive into the practice of mindfulness, and the benefits for physical and mental health. It is a must read if you want to reclaim your hectic life. Change your brain, change your life, and make the present your priority.
Reference:
Davies, P. (October 24, 2014). Time’s passage is probably an illusion. Retrieved from https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/time-s-passage-is-probably-an-illusion/
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