Time.
“What is time?” a young fairy put this question to me only last week. I thought and thought but could not come up with a satisfactory answer. I went through the motions of counting from one to sixty and saying, “A minute has now gone past, sixty of those minutes is one hour.” This did not help the fairy and I felt rather silly then I decided to go to the Fairy University to ask some of the learned Professors the same question. Speaking the magic words I travelled to the Fairy University by magic. How long I was underway I do not know. I have a watch on my lower arm and can read the time that is I can read the hours and the seconds but that is not explaining time, “How long did it take me to get from Fairyland to the Fairy University. My watch told me that I been exactly two seconds on my journey.
The first Professor that I met I asked my question, what is time? The professor mumbled something about hours and days making a year but he did not or could not explain time to me. I asked another Professor and then another no one could give me an answer. Each tried to explain the passing of time but that is easy I myself can explain the passing of time I just have to go back to my childhood. Time goes ever so slow if one is waiting for one’s birthday. Time goes ever so quick if one is on holiday. Ask any child he or she will tell you that but no one can tell you what time is. I put the same question to you dear reader, what is time? No I will not be angry if you too cannot tell me what time is after all learned professors cannot agree as to what the answer is.
The fairy asked me the same question at regular intervals and was very unhappy that neither her teachers nor even I could give her what to her was a simple question. We can all give some examples of time passing. We all can try to foretell the future, we can all to some degree or other explain the present even the past presents no great difficulty, but what is time. I decided to ask Her Royal Majesty Queen Feeanna if she could tell me perhaps with magic what time is. Her Majesty I am sorry to say could give me no answer.
I must admit I was now more than determined to find out what time is. I asked for an audience with Mother Nature. Mother Nature met me in my own back garden and listened to my question. What is time? Mother Nature is as old as time itself but even she could give me no answer, she could like myself explain the past the present and one of many futures. All sounded good but did not answer my question. Not only my question but also the question asked me by the little fairy.
No one it seems on this Earth can answer my very simple question; If Mr. Einstein was still alive perhaps he could answer my question. I asked all that I met if they could answer my question. All gave me an answer and each answer is different. It seems that we can measure time in so far we can measure the seconds that go by each hour, we can measure the passing of the hours and the days and weeks and the months even the passing of the years but my simple question no one can answer.
I have noticed that over the last weeks and months that my hair has gone grey, I am it seems growing old. My mind tells me that I am still very young and if I was to measure my life’s span I would in the presence of time be very young indeed. It seems that time has been with us since the beginning of the universe. No one understands what time is. Everyone can give me a definition of the passing of time. All can explain the past, the present and the future, but I think that my fairy by asking me what time is; has the answer to the question of what is a Perpetuum Mobile. Perpetuum Mobile is Latin and means a continuous movement forever. This question of what is time; is a question that will go on down in history until the end of time and no one will be able to answer this simple question asked by a fairy.
