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 22nd Sept 2011, it was reported that physicists running routine neutrino experiments between CERN’s Geneva HQ and the Gran Sasso laboratory in Italy
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
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.
5 comments:
It was heartening to read Dr. Rajshekher's letter (KT 28 Oct 2011) in response to my article on Time Concept (KT 27 Oct 2011). I fully understand his difficulty in accepting the illusory existence of time in our lives. No doubt, a seed grows into a tree through a series of events over a period of time - a process that can be videographed and hence can't be denied. But, all these events are now dead. There can be only one thing alive in the present, which is real. Everything else is no more real - only part of human memory, like a photo album.
Time is needed only when we want to recall these events (memories), just as you need a ruler to measure length. A tree is never bothered about the past events and hence by time in the same way as humans are. Only we humans allow our memories of the past to interfere with our present living. Every event in the present is like a mini big bang, where time is of no significance. Should we allow our dead memories to play with the living present in order to prove the existence of time? The choice is entirely ours.
Greetings from USA, where the leaves are changing color and falling - a reminder of passing time. With this article you are thoughtful as always, and timely also:
1. That bit about the CERN neutrinos kicked up quite a storm - imagine the door of time travel being cracked open as envisaged in science fiction. Some are saying that the CERN calculations didn't consider the time distortion introduced by the movement of the GPS satellites (remember relativity?). And of course the speed of light changes in a medium; it's the speed of light in a vacuum that is the absolute limit' which is c in the famous equation E = mc^2. Light slows down in a medium, say to 0.8c. Suppose the neutrinos are clocked at 0.9c. Then they are faster than the speed of light in that medium, but not faster than the speed of light in a vacuum.
2. There's a new movie out here, which you might enjoy when it comes to the UAE: "In Time" star ring Justin Timberlake. The premise is that in the future, time is currency and you can buy your way to immortality or die broke. People stop aging at 25, and then have to buy more time to stay alive. Naturally this creates a disparity between the haves and have nots, and raises questions about the value of the elderly, also very topical issues. I think you might enjoy it.
All well here, please give my regards to the family.
What is Time?
29 October 2011
Everything and everybody is fixed with respect to Time and place(space) as per thinkers in all languages.
The concept of times as far as we know is only defined by seconds, minutes, hours, days, months and years. We do not know about ourselves before and beyond our dates of births and deaths. Hence the philosophy about relation between ourselves and time is very complex.
In Shakespeare’s play, Richard 11, the king says thus, “I wasted time, and now doth time waste me; For now hath time made me his numbering clock: My thoughts are minutes; and with sighs they jar Their watches on unto mine eyes...”
Dear Raj kumar, Long long back, human made discovery of Air- tight, water-tight conditions.....very recent discovery would be Earth gravitation- free/ tight condition, where astronauts are trained... I feel present human demand is to discover '' TIME-TIGHT'' condition, so that world may be a place, free from RAT RACE...p.p.ghosh ( It is not an advertisement of ''IDEA'' mobile company )
That is a good question, in your article , viz " What happens to the time, when a life suddenly ends?"
Still thinking about it.
V K Natarajan
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