Day 30 - The Instantaneous Nature Of Time

It is essential to ask every question, to take a look at all of our views, particularly the ones we have accepted without question. What is birth? What is death? Are we really separate? Or somehow connected? We could ask all of these important questions and more, with none more important than this: What is the nature of time?

Certain elements seem obvious. Time travel seems impossible, especially to the past. In many ways it seems the most important factor in our lives. The young grow old, the beautiful eventually see their beauty fade, and every skill we think is ours is loaned to us. 

When we look closely we see that it, just like gravity, is not not as stable as it appears. This powerful, undeniable force is not the constant, consistent power that it seems to be. A second may always be a second, but sometimes it stretches into an eternity.

When we are in the bloom of youth age seems like a character flaw. Adolescents feel like they will turn 40 in a thousand years. When we are eighty eighteen seems like yesterday. Time speeds as we grow older and a decade feels like a month.

However we are in the world but not of the world. The mystic knows this place is not what it seems, and death sits on our right shoulder, waiting patiently. Our time will come sooner than we expect. 

This is our strength and our weakness. It is the source of inspiration and the ability to do more than we could ever imagine. It is also what frightens people into becoming bullies and despots. Death will be here soon, and endings matter. 

Meditation teaches us that time is instantaneous, and that we live and die in the same moment. In the corridors of time we are being born, falling in love for the first time and saying good night for the last time. Do not worry though, life and death are two sides of the same coin. Knowing that we will die in a few moments helps to remind us to really live.