Running out of time
“Time waits for no man” and “Time flies” are common phrases we often use to express the ephemerality of time, other times, “good things come to those who wait” and “everything in its own time” are phrase to suggest the opposite idea that there probably is enough time in the world for us. What then is the right mental model for us to adopt as regards dealing with time in our daily lives?
Physicist generally agree time is infinite and therefore has no beginning or end, but this differs from our living experience. We are born on a date and die on a latter date, the means we have a finite amount of time on this earth. With every funeral we attend or any news of death of a distant relative that comes our way,we are reminded of this fact and it influences how we live and what we do. This finite existence also causes us to interpret time on three planes: The past, the present and the future.
However our lived experience does not really negate the infiniteness of time. Despite being finite beings we still very much experience the world (read time) as an infinite quantity. One way to understand this is to see that everything happening currently is happening “NOW”, what I mean is the word “NOW” is used to refer to the time when things are happening . But things get interesting when you also realize that when past events took place, they happened at a time called “NOW” also, when those events were happening, the time they happened was called “NOW”. Likewise when future events will take place, they will happen in the present at a time called “NOW”. Essentially everything that has happened and will happen, happens now. All of time is instantaneous and it’s over before you know it.
What does this mean for us? Well, if everything happens now, then there is no point being worried about the future or sad about the past, focus on what you can do NOW. Also, there is no point in waiting for anything ( a greener pasture future ), do what it is you can do right now, likewise there is no point in regretting what you could have done in the past, you should do those things now because the past and present are basically the same.
Finally we should understand that while time is infinite, it is also instantaneous. The past, present and future happen at the same time and it finishes before you know it. Do all that you can right NOW. Till next time, stay safe.