What Time Is It?

Such a strange thing it is, this concept called “time.” What is time, anyway, but a unit of measurement? Such measurement began when humans took up taking account of the movement of the sun, then the movement of the Earth’s orbit around it. Then came the recognition of “day” versus “night” due to the visibility of the sun, which steadily created the concept of hours, minutes, seconds, moments, and days.

To some, time is what they see on their clocks and watches and phones. It is the physical realization of a mental concept, and they base their entire lives around its existence, waking up at a set hour to begin their days and heading to bed at a set hour to prepare for the same thing again the next day. When they need to care for themselves or others, they request "time off" from their jobs in order to prioritize these things. They ask someone else for a measure of their "time" to sit and chat, or to "spend time together."

To others, time is an illusion. It does not dictate when or how they rise, when they are productive, when they are still, or when they are caring for themselves. They do not concern themselves with time, because time is only ever important in the Now. If you were to ask them "What time is it?" they would only answer, "Why, now! The time is Now."

In a world run by time, there are many ways in which individuals view time. Some may say "Everyone has the same 24 hours in the day, so utilize your time wisely and make time for each thing! Set schedules and routines, create time blocks for yourself, you can do everything in 24 hours!" Others may say, "My 24 hours look different from yours because we do not share the same life circumstances. I have more mouths to feed than you do, or I have a different career or job than you do, and my required tasks and priorities are different from yours." Both types of individuals are, in their own world views, correct. They are also both incorrect.

For the person who states that "Everyone has the same 24 hours," they are correct in assuming that, on the level of clock time, everyone has 24 hours in a day in which to do the following: Eat, sleep, work, bathe, hydrate, and so on. For the person who says "My 24 hours look different from yours," they are correct in stating that each person has different priorities, goals, and tasks to take care of. There are people who have children to care for, and people who don't. There are individuals who go to school, and individuals who work eight hours a day. There are individuals who live further than walking or biking distance from their jobs and those who live within a stone's throw. Each individual has their own perspective, therefore, no one individual's perspective is entirely "correct" or "incorrect."

For those who live outside of the confines of clock time, there is no focus on night and day, hour and minute. They simply exist within the world as if there is only the here and now. They believe that the present moment is the only true measure of time and the only point in time that truly matters. And, again, they are correct.

Even within the realm of identification with clock time, there are ways in which we can view clock time as a tool for our success instead of our failure. Instead of seeing time as this thing to work against, or as a thing that is working against us, we can recognize the present moment as the only true measure of time. Yes, we can have our routines and strive for our goals, but to be free of the confines of clock time means that clock time does not run our lives. We utilize clock time to work in tandem with it. We do not see time as an illusion, nor do we see it as a means to an end for how we should live our lives. There is no attachment to the past and regret and remorse for what we could have or "should have done differently. There is no projection into the future as being "better" than where we are now. Instead, we allow ourselves to be focused and present within the current moment and do what comes naturally. Whether we have planned our routines and we begin to live by those, or we decide to simply "go with the flow," so to say, we do not dwell on either past or future but allow ourselves to be alert and present. To be wholly aware of our environments without attachment to them.

That. . . That therein is where we unlock the true power of this concept called "time," where we utilize its existence for our benefit in the present over what benefit we hope to see in the future and the regrets we harbor from the past. That therein is where we unlock the power of true peace.