The nature of time

    Time is definitely an essential part of contemporary world. Our thoughts wander from yesterday to tomorrow and back again. We're all aware that "the clock is ticking".

    From the times immemorial people counted days and nights. Ancient civilizations constructed first clocks. Over time, humans became more bound to the idea of time. They grew so attached to it that barely anyone notices that time is just an illusion. It's a tool we created, not an essential part of reality we live in.

    Past and future are inevitably connected to the idea of time. It would be a safe bet to say that 90% of thoughts of an average person is about either past or future.

    We look into our past thinking that that's what defines us. We were born in the past, earned our education, married, moved to another country etc. Who would we be without our past? It's what determines who we are. It gives us our identity. It defines us. Or does it?

    The future is where we lay our hopes, predictions, plans and goals. Many people await better future. Others worry about what will it bring them. Everyone sets their goals, ranging from making a sandwich on dinner to building a house. Future gives us purpose and hope. Or does it?

What do we think?

    What does a footballer think during the match? It would probably be a combination of : "They scored twice, dammit." "We'll fall down in the ladder." "That was a nice score of mine. Coach will be glad", "I hope someone discovers my talents so that I'll get a transfer to first league", "He'll pass to me and I'll pass it back to him. Yeah, that'll work". Is he thinking about anything except past and future?

    What happens inside the head of someone who lost a loved person? Here we go: "We used to eat breakfast together. Now I'll always eat it alone", "There are so many things I haven't told him", "He used to say that everything happens for a reason". Suddenly all memories of the loved one bring sadness. Such person is often unable to move on with his life.

    Last but not least, lets get inside some student's head: "The exams are coming nearer. I must start learning ... tomorrow.", "I still have plenty of time to do that homework, it's not even dark outside. I'll go out and play.", "Study for the next three hours? no way!". Are such thoughts doing them any good?

Another perspective

    Let's take a look at past and future from the perspective of present.
What exactly is my past? The events and facts are being stored by our brain. We have access to those memories and as we recall them in our mind, we think they're part of the reality, while in fact, only our memories of them are real. Memories are useful to see patterns and learn. It's a tool.

    What about future? We go through possible scenarios of our life from now on. We imagine events that could happen. Again, we might think it's part of the reality, but it's all just our imagination. Even if something is hundred percent certain to happen, it's not real as it isn't happening now. Hoping for something to happen doesn't bring it into existence. It makes it just harder to live without it. All that's real is a prediction of these events. Our imagination is a great tool, but still only a tool.

The dark side  

    Go back to the examples of thoughts listed above. There's a lot of negative emotional charge attached to them. Even some seemingly positive thoughts like "In a few days from now I'll be laying on a beach drinking rum" are in fact negative. Thinking about the positive picture of future we automatically think that current reality is different, that it doesn't suit our needs.

    The most remembered memories are those with strongest emotional charges. The nature of negative emotions is different than the nature of positive ones. Negative emotions, like anger or shame, are strong and they're gone in a matter of minutes. Positive emotions are usually less intense and last longer. The stronger emotions connected to an event, the better we remember it. This makes negative events much better memorized than positive ones. When we recall the memories and confuse them with reality, we can feel the emotions connected to them. Our past as we remember it usually contains mostly negative events.

    It's similar about future. The main function of the imagination is to predict the incoming threat and be prepared to face it. When we confuse that future with reality however, we have to face it before it even happens. That's what happens to people scared of public speaking. They're afraid of humiliation and feel bad before they even humiliated themselves.

Manual in Chinese

    Notice what happened in the previous paragraph. The tools stopped being tools. We received them but the manual is in Chinese, so we misuse them all the time. We're eating soup with a fork. We care about images created by imagination and memories at least as much as we do about reality. Is that healthy? Definitely not.

Make it right

    What would happen if we treated present as reality and time as a tool? The worst memories of our lives would become lessons. The imagination would make us feel ready instead of overwhelmed and worried. Whatever bad could be coming, it isn't happening now so let's prepare instead of bringing it here and now using imagination.

    The footballer would fully focus on the game and use the imagination and past experience only to decide how to play right now. His performance would surely increase.

    The person with lost relative would focus on the present instead of trying to live in past, where the loved one still lived. The paralyzing sadness would just disappear.

    What about the student? The full realization that everything happens in the present would prevent him from procrastinating. Future would transmute from an escape mechanism to a tool used to optimize his plans. To be aware that the learning can be done only in the present is all it takes to start learning.

Think about what is

    Whenever you find your thoughts wander in the past or future, cut them off. Just like that.

    Be grateful for the $100 you have instead of thinking about $1000 you don't have over and over again. Focusing on what you have instead of what you don't will make you fully accept the reality you live in. This path leads towards peace and happiness. There's no more lust or jealousy.

    Staying in the present will also improve your productiveness. Let's imagine you have to mow the grass. You absolutely hate that job. It's hot outside. The mower lays in the garage. You can hold on to the idea of time or focus on the present. Which way would make you actually mow the grass?

    Let's take the first one. You start thinking about your memories of mowing the grass. Remember that September morning when it was so hot and you had to mow the grass? You ended up totally wet from sweat. Than you keep thinking that for the next hour you'll be mowing the grass. It's such a long time. I can already feel the heat.Come on! This is unbearable! ... Are you going to mow the grass?

    What about the second idea? You focus on getting out of your chair. Than you focus on moving your butt along with the rest of your body towards the garage. Than you focus on turning the mower on and start mowing. You keep your thoughts around the present moment. Can you keep mowing for the next 5 seconds? No problem, what could possibly happen if I do? If you ask yourself that every five seconds and don't look farther ahead, are you going to stop before the garden looks beautiful? I doubt it.

    Would I write this article if I thought about 1200 words I have to put together into sentences? I'd feel so overwhelmed than I'd drop the idea right away. I'd decide to move it until I get better at writing.

Try it yourself

    The idea of holding on to the present moment improves almost every area of your life. However, it's not something you learn by reading about it. I just point you in the right direction. You have to experience it for yourself before you really know what I mean. You don't have to change your life right away. Do a small step towards it. But do it now.

-Ralph