The Trippy Truth About Time
Everything we know about time to be real... isn't.
I've been tripping a little bit lately thinking about the fourth dimension of time. I suspect it's because I'm quickly approaching my 40th birthday, and that in itself is messing with my head!
Time, as we know it, is a construct that we've created based on two primary factors: the earth's rotation on its axis, and its rotation around the sun.
The daily tracking of time makes sense to me, and has probably always existed to some extent in the evolution of humanity. But when I start to think deeper on the topic, I start to recognize the fabricated nature of time, and its relativity.
Our Perception of Time is Fake
The Gregorian seven-day week is an example of a construct that we've created at a certain point in time, and have just stuck with because... well, because we became used to it.
Over the course of our history, there have been several calendars with a different system for tracking our journey around the sun.
French Revolutionary Calendar: Divided the year into 10-day weeks (décades), with Décadi as a rest day.
Ancient Egyptian Calendar: Used 10-day weeks (decans), aligning with star phases and the Nile’s cycles.
Balinese Pawukon Calendar: A 210-day calendar with overlapping cycles of different week lengths (1 to 10 days).
What if one of these became more popular than the Gregorian calendar?
First, we'd all perceive time a little differently.
And, we'd all be different ages.
Think about that for a moment. Everything we know about time, human history, events that took place, and our own personal ages would be different from how we understand it now.
Space Time is Mind-Bending
If we had the ability to go into a spaceship and travel the speed of light, then the concept of time really starts to bend the mind.
We experience linear time based on our experience here on earth. One full rotation around the sun is “one year”, as we call it. If you got into a spaceship and traveled the speed of light, then returned after 10 earth years, then you wouldn't have aged, but all of us still on earth would look 10 years older.
Yeah. What?
I learned this years ago as a child, but it just didn't land. Being more aware of my time now (and how finite it is), has made me reflect on this fact differently.
“Fake” Time Matters
Look, time is important. It's valuable, and how we universally measure it matters, too. It may be “fake” in nature, but it's real to us and our social constructs. That is what makes (and keeps) it real for us.
Everyone should value their time more than anything else in this world. It helps you appreciate those in your life, and the experiences you live.
Live with intention, and appreciate your time. None of us know how much we have left.
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