The Illusion of Time
Where did our current time system come from? We use calendars, which are based on the natural cycles the Earth goes through as it rotates around the sun. If the Earth didn’t move, our perception of time would be completely different. One way to think about time is not to view it as an independent parameter that runs in the background but as something that happens alongside space and can be manipulated like space. Time has compared to a spiral, which incorporates the idea of cycles and evolution. The key here is that without evolution, we are just stuck in the same cycle.
Treating time as something we have no control over keeps us trapped. It’s a reason why modern day life is so stressful. Due to the pressures of our society, we stuff our schedules full with activities. We rush from one activity to another, convinced that the quicker we can get through what we don’t like to do, the sooner we can enjoy ourselves. The risk to not having a time limit on an activity is that we can lose track of time and won’t have time for other things. We operate under the assumption that there are things we need to do before the day ends to ensure the day was well-spent. We subconsciously categorize activities as being productive or unproductive based on our idea of success. It is generally expected within our society that there are milestones in life that one needs to be hit by specific ages. Since there are no objective rulebooks on success, our perceptions of where these milestones are are heavily influenced by our social sphere and mainstream media. Current beliefs about success leads to the choosing linear career trajectories like climbing the corporate ladder at a large company. Putting things on a linear path makes life predictable, yet life is anything but predictable. So what are we missing?
I like the idea of infinite timelines, which is this idea that everything that has ever happened and could ever happen is happening all at once at the same time. Not only does this mean that we can walk forward and backward in time, it means that we can choose the timeline we’re on, much like a movie character choosing the storyline.
In the book “Becoming Supernatural”, Dr. Joe Dispenza outlines the difference between the predictable and unpredictable future. Essentially, our brains are constantly predicting the future based on past events that have happened in our lives, whether that be from childhood or what we see in the media. Based on the Law of Attraction, the events predicted by our brain get attracted into our lives; therefore, anything predictable that happens to us is a result of our brain attracting the past. The past wants to validate itself, so it creates future experiences that match it. When we react to those experiences the same way we have before, we relive our past. An example of this is viewing a superior at work like a parent and subconsciously reacting to them the same way. It doesn’t matter to the subconscious whether we are attracting positive or negative things; it’s just doing its job. The way to get out of this endless loop of living the same experience over and over again is by being present and aware of what’s happening. When we become present, the automatic programming pauses. Meditation helps us observe the inner state and practice the act of dropping back into the present when we get caught up in the chaos. The goal of meditation isn’t to be absent from thought but to get really good at letting go of the thought.
There is a theory in modern physics called Observer Effect, which states that the mere observation of a phenomenon inevitably changes it. Observing means “noticing or perceiving (something) and registering it as being significant”. Observer Effect isn’t just found in physics labs. We know what it’s like to stare at an image long enough for our perception of it to change. Something happens when we bring an object into focus, although we don’t know what. It may be that our attention directs consciousness energy towards whatever it is we are observing. Everything in the universe wants to be seen and heard: humans, animals, feelings, inanimate objects. Experiences happen to us so that we can acknowledge them. If we fail to see them for what they are, they will keep happening to us. As the great philosopher Tyler the Creator once said, “exactly what you run from you end up chasing”. In other words, lessons repeat themselves until they are learned.
There is no way to stop our bodies from storing experiences, but we don’t have to act from stored data. We can learn to observe our subconscious mind without getting caught up in it. There is no place other than the present. The present is the only place where we get to choose the timeline we want. All the timelines are within reach, and the best timeline is the one we’re on right now.
We live in this crazy Alice in Wonderland world where peculiar things are happening all around us and we’re oblivious to most of it. Being alive is very different than being dead. Being alive gives us access to infinite possibilities; being dead gives us access to zero. Treat each moment as if it were happening for the first time because it is happening for the last.
