Tuesday, July 19, 2011

What is time?

Over at Integral Options Cafe this morning WH shares a fascinating video on time, from Through the Wormhole. The fundamental question asked is, What is time?

Well, I know this morning, that in letting my mind wander over to the documentary, time flew and I am now 40+ minutes wiser, but behind schedule. Because, in becoming entranced with the documentary, I lost track of time -- and it kept moving along, or is it that it kept passing me by as I sat transfixed by Morgan Freeman's voice talking about time?

But how can time pass me by? I am part of the movement of time. I didn't freeze while watching the video. And I definitely didn't 'not age' while watching it either!

Newton described time as absolute, but time, as Einstein noted, is relational and my relationship to time this morning has me running to catch up.

Note to self: save documentary watching until evening. When pressed for time in the morning, don't get caught up in watching time.

It was a good use of my time though. In taking the time to watch the video I had the time to reflect on .... you guessed it... time!

I wonder how many uses of the word 'time' there are?

Time flies
passes me by
stands still

Time passes
all in good time
wasted

But can time
be wasted
when I am
passing time
being
in the moment
of time
passing by?

Regardless of what is happening, at this time, I gotta go! Even though I've got a list of blogs to read, comments to post, I gotta go! I've spent my time, up. Used it, up. Can time ever be used down? Moments ticking away like the metronome. Except, the metronome has no finite end to when it stops.

We do. But, time itself doesn't stop, even when we do.

Hmmm..... many questions about time.

You'd best watch the documentary and find out for yourself.... What is time? (If nothing else, you'll get to spend some time being seduced by Morgan Freeman's velvety voice. It'll be time well spent!)






4 comments:

Anonymous said...

LG

a smug bureaucrat was giving me the brush off one - he told me that he couldn't explain his reasons, but 'in the fullness of time' it would become apparent to me

he was a jerk

but I loved the phrase and have used it often

it has multi-dimensions, one of which you proved this morning

the time you spent was part of your life today, not a waste, but an allocation of investment

I suspect you invested wisely

as I believe I have, just now, passing along this ancedote and this spectacular phrase

use it any way you want any time you want ...


Yours, in the fullness of time,

Mark

Maureen said...

Fascinating film.

The idea that schizophrenia is a result of time deception is arresting. Even more so, the concept that time doesn't exist at all. ("The instant is not in time. The time is in the instant.") Lots to ponder here; almost too rich to take it all in.

S. Etole said...

now that's a puzzle!!!

Unknown said...

Time - there's never enough of it to do the things we want to do. I had to chuckle while I read this because I can just imagine you getting caught up in the moment and losing track of time.

Hope you caught up the time during the course of your day :-)

Love your poems and will pop over to check out the sites you mentioned