What Does Time Mean To Us?

A Truce With Time
By
La Belle Rouge


Time has different meanings to each person. To the harried, businessperson it means deadlines, prosperity and position. To the family it means relating to and enjoying each other. Children perceive it as fun and play. Lovers try to forget it as they spend all too few, brief hours together. Spiritual persons see it as the opportunity to live out what will impact eternity. Terminally ill patients grasp at it and understand, perhaps better than any of us, its brevity and value. Each birthday we are reminded of its passing and the fact that one day it will run out for us. What we choose to do with the commodity of time will contribute to determining who we are and what kind of life we will live. The sad thing about time is, in youth with so much of it apparently stretching out before us, we often fail to realize its value and opportunities to avail ourselves of its advantages and in old age time and strength are running out!

Time, that illusive reality all of us must live with, but none of us completely understand. There are numerous theories concerning time but few answers to its mysteries. Do different eras exist simultaneously, and if they do, what prevents individuals from passing back and forth between them? Is there a way to travel faster than the speed of light and thereby traverse the barrier of time and space? Will man actually discover a way to “fold” space, traveling incredible distances with faster than light speed; and in doing so will he be able to move through time as well? If time travel should become possible, what are the serious implications of the alteration of history? All these questions, as of yet have no concrete answers. These are fascinating thoughts to ponder in our minds and imaginations but of no real practical use in the day to day passing of time, and along with it, our lives. As surely as time is passing our lives are drawing one hour, day, and year closer to their end.

There is the age old question, have people living in the present, lived previously in the past or future? Does life continue on after physical death, reborn in this dimension or glorified in another? There are many questions and speculations but few substantial answers, other than what is to be found in structures of faith and religious belief.

What about déjà vu, the sensation of having lived a particular scenario before, what is it and why does it occur? How do some people intuitively know things about past eras as though they experienced living in them? They understand the customs and even the difference in lingual expression without detailed research, feeling an affinity with that time that they may not feel for the one they are living in. Even more puzzling are those who have intimate knowledge of lifetimes long ago ended. Why upon meeting some people for the first time do we feel as if we have always known them and known them well, feeling that they are a part of our life and always have been, and why do they feel the same familiarity with us?

How can material minds understand something as metaphysical as the concept of time? We can neither see it or touch it and can only measure it by mechanical means which only have meaning within the context of our finite minds. Is time a straight line from one point to a clear destination or is it a revolving, infinite circle? If it is a circle, or a line, what is the purpose of individuals appearing only briefly and how much influence does one, short lifetime have on the element of time and history? Why is there intrinsically built into the human heart the desire to leave a mark on the allotted time of one’s life and to influence history in some way? If we live long enough it will eventually impact our consciousness that we would like to leave something of ourselves behind when our time on the stage of life ends, something to be remembered for. No one wants to pass into total oblivion, forgotten as though we never existed. In ancient times one of the greatest punishments inflicted upon a conquered enemy was to kill him, his offspring and all those related to him, then to destroy all written records of his life; thus having the memory of his person and name to “Perish in the Earth.” All people secretly live with the fear that this passing into oblivion will happen to them after their physical death, thus the struggle to “Leave a mark.” Some frustrated at the difficulty of leaving a positive one have left instead one of infamy, negative, but a mark just the same! Some in desperately seeking to make a mark, have used all their time to that end and in so doing have missed the greatest pleasures their lives were intended to yield.

Is time a tangible thing that can be imprinted with negative or positive energy or occurrences? What of "Hauntings" of particular locations, could these feelings or manifestations actually be caused by some kind of cosmic imprinting of time and space by tragedy or familiarity, and if we someday find that they are, will there be a way to end them?

Our religious orientation or life philosophy usually dictates our belief about past or future lives, but even religions that preclude reincarnation make no definitive statement about the possibility of time travel or individual compartmentalized dimensions of time. These theories are puzzling enigmas often thought upon, especially by those who feel a strong sense of, and connection with, history. Did you ever read a book about someone who died long ago and feel that you know them and their life or that you lived through the same era and experiences? Why does this happen. Could it simply be the common bond of human experience or some other cryptic reason? Is there a thread, unseen, unknown, which joins all of life throughout all of time so that in rare moments we can reach across that fragile thread to become a part of the experience and emotions of those of other times?

What is time to be used for? It is a measurement of our hours and days, weeks and years as they pass. Time was never intended to be anything other than a measurement, not a master. Man is to be the master of time, not time the master of man. Modern man with all his knowledge and sophisticated technology is more the slave of time than any generation before him. We live by clocks; manage our entire lives by blocks of time, allowing much too little time for spontaneous enjoyment of life. Forced to keep to our demanding schedules, time is looked upon as an enemy we constantly strive to keep one step ahead of and succumb to in the end. Time becomes a harsh taskmaster, forcing haste and exhaustion, often demanding more of us than we can reasonably give. Time is the dreaded thief of strength, youth, the ability to work and enjoy life and finally life itself. "Time waits for no man" and "Time is money" are quotes we are all familiar with and influenced by. Most of us spend our lives behind time and trying desperately to catch up, as the things we desire to do are superseded in priority by the things we have to do in order to satisfy the unending demands of time! Precious time is wasted, pursuing position and wealth rather than spiritual and self knowledge and when time has run out too often we find ourselves grappling with questions rather than enjoying the comfort a lifetime of seeking answers would have yielded. Each day we all have the same gift, 24 hours, what we choose to do with that gift is the measurement of who and what we are and the vehicle by which we are transported to becoming who we can be.

In the beginning of our lives time has no meaning, we are ruled by our natural needs for sleep, food and comfort. As we grow and become influenced by the world around us we begin to wish for the passing of time so as to be able to enjoy adult privileges, never realizing the responsibilities that accompany them. We wish time away, straining toward adulthood. After the coveted adulthood is reached and we become weighed down with the daily responsibility and pressure of life we find ourselves often wishing for the more simplistic days of childhood. As we advance in age and youth is no longer ours, we wish to slow down time and the inevitable signs of aging. It is at this point that we realize we are actually in a losing battle with time, which shall be the eventual victor over us. When this reality is realized and accepted we will either despair or accept the inevitable and become grateful for the gifts of time. We begin life with very little and have an opportunity to end it with a wealth of family, friends and influence. The years between that first breath and the last one are to be measured by much more than just time. Their true measurement is love given and received, wisdom gained and imparted, life embraced and lived with a sense of wonder and gratitude.

The old adage, “Good things come to those who wait,” only finds meaning in the passing of time. During the busiest of our years we often dismiss or overlook such gifts that time brings. In the passing of time I have been privileged to know my children and my grandchildren. I remember sitting with my grandmother years ago and asking her about what it was like when she was a little girl, now I sit in her seat and describe a bygone, gentler time to my granddaughter. It feels strange but somehow gratifying that life has come full circle for me. I will forever be grateful that in the latter part of my life a gift of poetry has become an important part of who I am, bringing me untold joy and meaning in life. If this gift had appeared earlier in time, I fear I may have squandered or ignored it, being far too busy with the struggle of self realization and survival, rather than embracing and deeply appreciating it as I do now. In an earlier time of my life I lacked the experience and depth years have given, which are now reflected in my writing.

I am thankful that I didn’t die young but have been given all these years of time to enjoy, learn, grow, and I hope, to have had some small positive impact on other lives. In the real scheme of life, we either die young, or we grow old, there is no compromise. The conflict within us comes when we are unwilling to accept that growing older is a privilege not a punishment. Although we know that physical death waits at the end of our time, how we perceive the finality of death will color our concept of life and time. If we believe that eternity, infinity waits at the end of measured days; time will loose its menacing image and be seen in a positive light, as bringing us to the goal of immortality that is unachievable any other way. As I see it, a truce with time has the potential of being one of the most effective ways of freeing myself from useless frustration and fear from something over which I have no control. Time will pass, no matter how ardently I wish to slow or stop it, in acceptance of that reality comes freedom and even joy of anticipating the next and better phase of my existence.

With the passing of decades comes a new awareness of how to spend time profitably for eternity and not just a few years of time. In recent days, I find myself resenting more and more the unreasonable and sometimes futile demands of time on my life, fostering a new determination to “Stop and smell the roses.” I realize that this will never be done without a conscious and determined effort on my part to grasp the meaning of the preciousness of time and the possibility of flowing with it, instead of competing against it! As one who has much less time to live than I have already lived, I have decided to make a truce with time, to embrace it as a friend rather than fear it as an enemy. Time has given me some very precious offerings, maturity, wisdom, knowledge, experience, spiritual awareness, as well as seasons of loss and pain; without which my emotions would be shallower and my art would be the poorer. For these gifts I am deeply grateful and I realize that without the passing of time they could never have been mine.

There are some practical considerations and decisions we can actively make concerning time. How can it be better spent to be maximum benefit of others and ourselves? Can we find a comfort zone where we begin to master our hours each day instead of being mastered by them? What are our long term and eternal goals and how can time be harnessed to help us achieve them? Can we begin to prioritize our use of time to better reflect our real life core values? Can we honestly face and conquer our fear of time ending for us and in doing so begin to live life more fully and joyously? Can we begin to make time for others who are important to us and even strangers who would benefit from a donation of our time?

My goal in looking back over my life experience with time is to remain as young as possible for as long as possible, to age gracefully and hopefully to die nobly; then to discover the true meaning of time from a new distance and prospective of knowledge and wisdom. I no longer see time as an enemy but a natural means of bringing me to spiritual maturity and finally immortality in an existence that my particular faith describes as timeless, infinite and ecstatic; where life is no longer invaded by deadlines nor controlled by clocks and there is no constant competition with the monster of time and no frustration with losing that race!

I made a truce with Time
For Time was at war with me
I offered to surrender
And let what would be, be
But Time would not slow down
Long enough to wait
For me to get in step with him
Before it was too late
So I made a pact with Time
To live and love today
Before he leaves me at last
And I enter Eternity’s day