Time is a Concept

From the time immemorial, ‘time’ has been the most talked about subject. The desire to surpass time has been burning in every human heart. Many scientists have attempted to make ‘Time machine’ without any success. On 22^nd Sept 2011, it was reported that physicists running routine neutrino experiments between CERN’s Geneva HQ and the Gran Sasso laboratory in Italy 455 miles away may have found their neutrinos traveling faster than the speed of light. This news has rekindled the possibility of time-travel. Why are we so obsessed with the idea of beating ‘time’? 

We feel trapped in the clutches of time. Every aspect of our life seems to be controlled by time. We are constantly reminded of its importance: – Time is money; Time and tide wait for none; etc. We seem to be always racing against time. There is never enough time to do everything in life. We seem to be running out of time on all fronts. Work deadlines, family commitments, social responsibilities, legal / regulatory demands and desire to rest take heavy tolls on the available time. We want to go back in time and relive happy moments and correct those events that we messed-up. We also want to race ahead in time and have a sneak preview of the future events. 

We are often tempted to ask, “When did ‘time’ begin?” The earliest known reference point for time is 13.75 billion years ago (based on the Big Bang theory), which is assumed to be linear. This assumption could be wrong and the time may well be non-linear. Then, we are also faced with the question: “What preceded the big bang?” If time didn’t exist before the big bang, how can we say when did it happen? The subject of time gets further complicated when we perceive it in relative sense. It appears to move very slowly when we are in a miserable situation and seems to race when we are enjoying. In dreams and at deeper sub-conscious levels, time takes weird dimensions – years shrink into hours or minutes. A recent Hollywood movie ‘Inception’ beautifully presented this aspect of time. Our dilemma is: “Which time shall we rely on?” 

In reality, the question ‘when did time begin’ is fallacious. We must step out of time to ask this question, which is not possible. The truth is: time is a concept born out of human mind. Time is the interval between two events and is born at the second event. That is perhaps why the smallest unit of time is called ‘second’. Only human mind needs time, as it dwells in memories of the past and thoughts of the future. Vegetable and animal kingdoms don’t have to worry about time, as they are programmed to follow the nature’s dictates without undue thinking.  

Everything in the life happens in the present. And, in the present, everything happens so spontaneously that time loses its significance. Those who live spontaneously need not worry about time. They totally submerge themselves in every experience and emerge fresh with new experience. For them, time is at best a tool to analyse past events for gaining necessary wisdom. Time can no longer command their lives. After all what happens to the time when a life suddenly ends? Can any time based research or planning avert this end? Why then waste life worrying over time? Time is only a concept – no more, no less. Let’s live with utter spontaneity.

The Joy of Easiness

Recently on a TV Quiz show, one participant talked about the book, “The joy of laziness”. I was amused to discover that there is, indeed, such a book in print. Here is a short synopsis of this book.

“Drawing on both scientific and anecdotal sources, the doctor authors of The Joy of Laziness argue that the much-admired Type A lifestyle of intense exercise, frantic activity, and overwork is detrimental to health and long life. Every human being has a limited amount of life energy, they say, and the speed with which it is consumed determines the lifespan. Citing the scientifically recognized Metabolic Theory, the book explains how being “lazy” — being calm, eating temperately, reducing or avoiding sports, exercising moderately, and limiting ambition — can boost the immune system and increase longevity.”

We may not agree with everything said in this book. But, who can deny the fact that ‘stress’ is the single most killer disease of modern times. 24 hours don’t seem to be enough in a day. There is a rush for everything. We want everything instantly – instant cooking, instant weight loss, instant wealth and instant success. Students are burdened to score high grades and choose profitable careers. Workers and executives are dying to climb career ladders. We are rushing through our meals, travels and meetings. We look for means of exercising that would burn more calories in less time. Even entertainment is fast-paced and confined to digital world – countless 24x7 TV channels, laptop, iPod, iPad, iPhone, Blackberry, facebook, etc. Where is the time for a leisurely walk in a park? Where is the time for listening to birds’ chirping and wind blowing through trees? Where is the time for watching sunrises and sunsets? Where is the time for lying on a couch with a book? Where is the time for sitting with older generation overflowing with life’s wisdom? We seem to be doing everything, except living happily.

Everything in the nature is designed to work ‘easily’. Sun rises in no hurry. Flowers bloom in their own sweet time. Seasons change seamlessly. Birds fly with ease. Fishes don’t struggle for swimming. There is a symphony in play. No competition, no enmity and no jealousy. But, we humans seem to defy this principle. We believe in beating the nature. We think that we can get anything out of turn at will. We want to achieve our goals at any cost. Hence, we complicate our lives – by hurrying and worrying. Let’s watch the lives of true achievers. A true painter enjoys every turn of his brush. A great writer may ponder on an idea for several days without writing anything. A great musician plays his instrument effortlessly. A great dancer remains calm while her dance sets the stage on fire. A master batsman makes a difficult shot look easy. Easiness is the common denominator of all true achievers. When this easiness is lost, we become sick. That is why; the other name for sickness is disease (dis+ease). Stress is the symptom of living uneasily. Spontaneity is the sign of easy living.

This does not mean that we should not have goals and ambition in life.  But, we must choose a goal which is in line with our own natural talents. There is no need to mimic any other achiever. True achievers also don’t imitate anyone. That’s why they are called ‘original’. They don’t compete with anyone. When we imitate or compete with someone, we move away from our own centre and shift our yardstick to external factors over which we have no control. Stress is the inevitable result. However, when we work according to our own natural talent, we are naturally at ease. Everything flows effortlessly. We don’t get tired, no matter how much we work. Have we not noticed how easy learning becomes when our hearts are at work? Following our own natural talents, whether we achieve any great heights or not, we remain at peace with ourselves and that is the secret of happiness. A true achiever is always happy.

Last but not the least, each one of us is endowed with a great tool called ‘conscience’, which constantly monitors every thought, feeling and action. So long as our thinking, feelings and actions are at ‘ease’, they are in line with conscience and hence ‘right’ for us. Any deviation from conscience, however small, would cause uneasiness and hence ‘not right’ for us. Let this be the benchmark of our day-to-day activities. The Chinese master Chuang Tzu says:

“Easy is right.

Begin right and you are easy.

Continue easy and you are right.

The right way to go easy is to forget the right way and forget that the going is easy.”