Friday, March 19, 2010

About Time

For sometime, probably about four hundred years, I've been puzzled by a phenom that I've noticed. It's about time. I don't mean that it's about time, I mean that it's about time.

You know when a chap says that 9/11 was in 2001, almost ten years ago, or when a fellow says that it was in 2005, almost five years ago, that Take That reformed? Or when someone talks about the fact that the year is almost a quarter of the way gone already and that Christmas feels like it was yesterday.

Or when you go on holiday and time passes rapidly, running through your hands quicker than a vast fortune through a couple of generations in a Sri Lankan family.

Well why is it that we're always surprised by the reality of time?

You never hear someone respond along the lines of "oh yes, it feels exactly like the ten years / three months / four minutes you say it was, my dear fellow."

No one ever says that that ninety minutes felt like it lasted ninety minutes. Or that it actually feels like it's Thursday, on a Thursday.

Why is this?

Answers on a comment please. Take your time.

6 comments:

thekillromeoproject said...

I think it has something to do with the age factor RD. Ever notice how when you were a kid, the holidays seemed to last forever? Even something as simple as a game of friendly cricket in the evening would seem to last for days!

Rhythmic Diaspora said...

TKRP - I reckon that, as we get older time quickens because each unit becomes a smaller proportion of our life so far. So, at 2 years old a year represents 50% of a child's life but, at 50 years old a year is only 2% of a person's life.

I can only imagine how quickly time must pass for someone who is DD's age!

Java Jones said...

Hey RD, you noticed, huh? Actually time IS going faster than it did before and will continue to go faster than it does now. It's all to do with the speed of light increasing, but we don't notice it as everything else is relative to it. Anyway you will be with us sooner than you imagine you will and the holiday will fly faster than it ever did before. So hurry up and start enjoying everything before you miss it all....

Anonymous said...

well i hate time and whom so ever invented it, was a smart alec who ruined it for us all. i mean if time did'nt exsist, no one would have to be embarressed about getting old for one thing :p, so as far as i'm concerned 'time is time', the detriment of human happiness.

however, that being said, people like you, are able to make being in ones 40's pretty cool, as in, if you did'nt mention your age, i would never have guessed you were a 40 something. so i guess you managed to beat the system.

Rhythmic Diaspora said...

JJ - The power of now eh? Enjoying today is something I really need to work on more. If only I had the time...

Dandelion - Thank you. I guess getting older has pros and cons and it's up to each of us which set we choose to focus on. Your blog looks good so far, I'll keep checking in.

Serendib_Isle said...

Time... goes so slowly... here in Saudi Arabia. It is the year 1431 here, not 2010.

Don't trust me? Google "Hijri Year" and you'll know.

And Saudis believe they had internet and aeroplanes in the 14th century..!