Saints, poets, philosophers, and scientists have all grappled with the notion of time and its peculiar subspecies, the moment. St. Augustine (354–430) is said to have opined: “What then is time? Provided that no one asks me, I know.”
As the human mind is itself captive to the moment, it is left with the wholly unsatisfying exercise of circular reasoning: the string of moments that mark the hours of our lives are themselves minted in the mind, and they are a constant, if nebulous, accompaniment.
As well, the cage of time in which we find ourselves is in no way susceptive to alteration: a moment flashes upon our horizon, then is instantly history, and we know from science and experience, it cannot be extended. Or can it? The key to solving this mysterious conundrum begins by stepping through the gateway of perception into the mystical state of mind that is ungoverned by time and space.
We begin with a brief overview of how a prominent philosopher, David Hume (1711-1776), conceptualized time.
Time, as it appears to us, is made of indivisible moments that are parts of succession. A single moment cannot have a duration. We must perceive a change with respect to moments; otherwise we could not abstract the idea of time…there is a relevance of the relation between an observer and a reference object.
For Hume, there is no evidence for absolute, self-existing time. Nor is there evidence for one universal time. There are different times, depending on the observer/reference-object relation, which anticipates Einstein’s theories. It is noteworthy that Einstein credits Hume’s work on time in the development of his relativity theories.
Next is a quote from T.S. Eliot (1888-1965), his poem titled Burnt Norton, written in 1936, which reflects the chaotic tenor of those years.
Time present and time past
Are both perhaps present in time future,
And time future contained in time past.
If all time is eternally present
All time is unredeemable.
Simplifying the theme: the present and past are in the future, which is in the past. Therefore, if we can unlock the mystery of the past—which really only exists in the mind; or does it?—we have solved for the present and the future. For another wrinkle, recent research posits that in the world of quantum physics time can theoretically move both forward and backwards. Do those mathematical equations exist apart from human thought, effectively describing another dimension of the universe? The physicists would likely argue that they do.
Speaking of the universe: the consensus among scientists is that the observable universe began 13.8 billion years ago in what is known as the Big Bang. Further, it is expanding at a rate called the Hubble Constant, coined by astronomer Edwin Hubble (1889-1953) in 1929. Until the turn of the 20th century, the assumption had been that the three-dimensional geometry of the universe was distinct from time (the measurement of when events occur within the universe). However, space and time took on new meanings with the Lorentz Transformation and Einstein’s special theory of relativity.
Non-relativistic classical mechanics treats time as a universal quantity of measurement that is uniform throughout, is separate from space, and is agreed on by all observers. Classical mechanics assumes that time has a constant rate of passage, independent of the observer’s state of motion, or anything external. It assumes that space is Euclidean: i.e., that space follows the geometry of common sense.
In the context of special relativity, time cannot be separated from the three dimensions of space, because the observed rate at which time passes for an object depends on the object’s velocity relative to the observer. General relativity provides an explanation of how gravitational fields can slow the passage of time for an object, as perceived by an observer outside the field. Therefore, the human mind—which is hostage to the moment—is subject to laws that alter the perception of the passage of time. It turns out that the temporal absolutes at our local level, are paradoxically relative in interstellar space. Let’s segue into another dimension of time, that of Holy Scripture. Reference 2 Peter 3:8:
But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing: that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.
When we incorporate that biblical verse into our thinking, our metric of time is altered and we are no longer conscripts of the temporal world; rather, we are afforded a window into the spiritual dimension, where perception can reconfigure the passage of time.
It begins with prayer. As the priest St. John Vianney (1786-1859) wrote, “Prayer is honey that flows into the soul and makes all things sweet.” That heavenly sweetness, begun in prayer, seals the mind from the metronomic ticking of time. Before we utter the first word, we ask the Lord to silence our thoughts, and then we enter the peaceful sanctuary where our soul invites the Lord to dwell with us. Once our mind is quieted and internally focused, a sacred veil cloaks us, and when our prayer begins we know we have one foot in eternity, and that one day the other will follow.
Then something magical begins to happen. As the bishop, St. John Chrysostom (347-407) wrote: “As the eyes of the body are enlightened when they see light, so our spirit, when it is intent on God, is illumined by His infinite light.” In that prayerful, mystical luminescence, our spirit senses the intimacy of our Lord, and there the moments are suspended, and we are released from the prison of time.
Philip E. Mella
Some thoughts for sharing on the concept that belief shapes our perception of time and events,
demonstrating that our perceptions are not fixed, but are mutable.
For example, consider our perception of learning. It is often viewed as challenging or frustrating,
where correction is seen as embarrassing or a source of anxiety to be avoided. However, if we
instill in children the perspective that learning is an exciting adventure into the unknown and the
key to unlocking mysteries, they will embrace it as a lifelong practice. It is the same concept,
simply viewed through a different lens: learning as a trial versus embracing an opportunity. (It is
amazing how early in life a child attaches a value or perception to learning.) If trials can be
perceived as a welcome course correction, they may not be as disheartening to endure.
With trials, it is often said that in times of stress, a person’s true identity is revealed. If we
perceive trials as a revealing of character, we may see the benefit of trials as a revelation of who
we, and others, truly are. This highlights the contrast of trial versus revealing character.
Emily Dickinson’s poem, “Success is Counted Sweetest,” describes an argument that success
is understood and intrinsically valued most not by those who achieve it on a regular basis, but
by those who fail on a more regular basis. What may be worse than not achieving success is
not valuing it—another example of trial versus the valuation of success.
Those who experience a trial-free life may feel content within their own comfort zone. This
establishment and maintenance of a comfort zone may in fact be more of our own prison than
the prison of time. But if we get pushed out of our comfort zone through trials, it may indeed be
a reason to develop our own resiliency, something we generally don’t practice within our comfort
zone. This represents trial versus building resilience.
If we believe we are capable of embracing opportunity, revealing character, valuing success,
and building resiliency, we perceive an opportunity to do so more positively.
Again, fear of encountering trials may be as much as, or more of a prison than the prison of
time. But any time we have, control, or own the key to the door—which is our perception of
events—we are no longer in prison. Ultimately, what we believe, we see.
Time is a beast we all need to tame. Might I, in my late 70’s, be able to slow time down, as I perceived it passing in my pre-teen or teenage years? Those years I encountered one hundred times the number of novel experiences that demanded my attention as my memory formed. Those distinctive and rich memories made days seem like months and a month seem like an eternity. We Mella children experienced this vividly while on summer vacations to our grandparents’ cottage on Grand Lake when time was expansive and seemingly abundant. “There would always be another summer” lingered in the back of our minds!
Now passing years constitute a much smaller proportion of a lifetime of experiences and the passage of time accelerates. I try to slow it down by being mentally active adding novel experiences through my photographic artwork. Although travel to the art capitals of the world, due to personal reasons, has trickled to a halt as of late, such historical extended times abroad has made a month feel like a year.
“But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing: that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.” Theoretically we could make the passage of one day on earth into a thousand years. Albert Einstein could do the math, but here it is in a nutshell: by jumping on board a spacecraft traveling at just a fraction below the speed of light. He adhered to eternalism philosophical view that past, present and future events are all equally real. I believe that such a philosophy is in step with your David Hume quote and T.S. Eliot’s:
Time present and time past
Are both perhaps present in time future,
And time future contained in time past.
If all time is eternally present
All time is unredeemable.
Whether attempting to understand Einstein’s Theory of Relativity or the above poem, mere mortals like myself grapple endlessly. Such is life!