What IS time? How does it work? Can you create more of it? How much of it do you waste?
Time appears to move at different speeds, relative to our point of view. So, IS there really a past and a future?...
Our lives are inescapably affected by time and our understanding of it. Yet, we don’t fully know exactly how it works and what this means in our perceived reality. We can really only then navigate this life by what we CAN currently perceive: so, we work with “linear” time… In today’s article we look at what time is, how time, space, gravity and light are connected, and ways to prioritize our use of time, all while remembering to be in the NOW!
What IS time?
According to the dictionary, time is defined as the following:
The concept of time is intuitive and seems pretty straight forward to us as it is embedded in the fabric of society, and we are bound to it from the day we are born into the world. Time is the basis of how we have recorded life on Earth, our method of tracking how these moments relate to the present. For centuries, philosophers and physicists regarded time to be a constant, independent force, as if the whole Universe is governed by a single clock. That idea however, changed with Einstein’s theory of relativity in 1905.
Time is relative…
Time is not something we can see, feel or touch but yet it “exists”. Our entire lives revolve around time, planning for the future based on what we know about the past. Time was originally thought to be constant and separate from 3-dimensional space, until Einstein proposed that it was not time, but the speed of light that was constant. In 1905, Einstein introduced the theory of special relativity, the structure of spacetime. It is based on the following 2 hypotheses:
From 1907-1915 he developed the theory of general relativity (gravitation), which relates the curvature of spacetime with mass, energy, and any momentum within it.
Some of the effects of general relativity are:
Then came the development of quantum mechanics, a physics theory that provides a description of the physical properties of nature at the scale of atoms and subatomic particles (photons, electrons, neurons, quarks). Here, space-time is just a background, a stage, a floor, a container for all the interesting interactions that make up the physics of the universe…
Be in the NOW!
So as you can see, at face value, time is a little more complicated to understand. The continually developing worlds of science, physics, quantum mechanics, cosmology and technology will always keep turning, learning, unlearning and proposing ideas, theories and discoveries. As interesting and exciting as it is, how much of these things affect us on a day-to-day basis? We don’t have much control at all over the past or future, so instead of worrying and stressing about these things, filling up the mind with unnecessary thoughts, let’s focus our energy on things that REALLY matter. Let’s prioritize our time so we can make the best out of our 1 precious life!
Ways to prioritize, plan, do your best and leave the rest:
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Having gained further insight into the magic of the Universe, time and things beyond our current understanding, we can hopefully worry less about how it all works and be more in the moment! Do what you can, there will be enough time, IF you can prioritize and manage it well, let go when needed. Find solace in the unknown.
Till next time, have a great day ahead!
xo Kirst