I am often struck by the quantity of time and how as you get older it seems to pass more quickly. I can remember when I was very young and even into my teens that time seemed to pass so slowly that days sometimes seemed like months. As I have grown older being now on the doorway of 60, time seems to run away from me at a pace that I cannot catch up with.
Science tells us that time is relative (in some circles that is), for instance as we approach the speed of light time is deemed to slow down. Einstein's famous formula of E=MC2 posits the hypothesis of time slowing down as it reaches the speed of light. Is it therefore possible under some circumstance or event for time to speed up. Surely if mathematics can be used to show that time can slow down then the opposite must also be true.
If we live in a finite universe old sayings like what goes around comes around would be deemed to be true. Much like the drive axles on a automobile while going around a corner, the outer wheel needs to travel a further distance than the inner wheel and as such must go faster. This phenomena is achieved by the use of a differential which is a mechanism found in all automobiles. It allows the axles that drive the wheels to turn at different rates. Without a differential the automobile would be continually either breaking axles for shedding tyres.
It can be seen then, when we have two circles with the same centre but different radiuses, say 2 cm and 10 cm. The inner circle has a shorter circumference than the outer circle. Therefore the speed at the outer circle must be greater because it has to travel a greater distance in the same time as the inner circle.
When we are young, in this scenario, it could be said that we travel on the inner circumference while when we're older we travel on the outer circumference. Hence for those of us who are older time appears to be passing faster despite the fact that the total time necessary to complete one cycle is exactly the same no matter which circumference we follow. Just as the hands of a clock take 60 seconds to make one complete cycle so to does it take the same time for a year to pass despite the fact that as we get older time seems to pass more quickly.
Well you may ask what is the point?
The point to be made here is that we each experience reality in a different way. For some reality is impregnated by a perfect world, a perfect childhood, a perfect marriage and a perfect life. For others however experience an abused childhood, a confused adulthood, a disastrous marriage and the worst that life has to offer. Here we have the two extremes of reality at one end the perfect life while at the other the most imperfect life to be had.
As in the example of an automobile where it takes the use of a differential to allow for the apparent paradox of one wheel travelling faster than another, then in life there has to be some mechanism by which time seems to speed up or slow down. We could call this the differential of life. The differential of life is what allows all human beings to relate to one another even though we each exist in our own reality. It could be called a master or common reality. When looking at how someone who has lived and experienced reality on one extreme can ever find a common ground on which to identify with someone from the other extreme we see this differential of life in use.
If we take the illustration of two circles with different circumferences and a common centre we are reminded that all human beings are endowed with a conscience. Taking the illustration even further those who have lived a more affluent life would be like following the outer circumference of a circle. They would be required to work harder, go further and try longer to gain understanding in an effort to try and relate to the reality of somebody who's life journey was on the other extreme.
This then would line up with the older person's view of time passing far too quickly and getting beyond their reach. Just as when we were children time seemed to pass so slowly. It is this concept of a differential of life that I am going to be exploring at greater depths in later posts in this blog. So I would ask you to join me as I explore this concept of inter-personal relationships.
Trevor.