What is time? If you consult a dictionary you will discover no fewer than a dozen options. One such answer is “a period during which an action, process, or condition exists or continues.”
Over the centuries mankind has measured time with calendars, sundials, clocks, and watches. A dash on a tombstone between the date of a person’s birth and death represents the years and month he or she lived. We humans seem to be very conscious of time. Why is that? Could it be that somehow we instinctively know our days are numbered? I confess time is very important to me; there are no fewer than eight to ten calendars and time devices in my house to keep me focused on what I need to do.
Ways to measure time are human constructions to help us manage our lives by setting appointments, mealtimes, bedtimes, and the hours we work at our jobs. Calendars help us remember birthdays, anniversaries, and other significant days. Obviously, these instruments for measuring time can be helpful to us in ordering our lives in productive ways. But, there is another purpose these devices can serve that we may not think about very much. What is that?
For Me, the clock and calendar remind me that my life is speeding by. There was a point in my life, somewhere around age 50, when I began to be more aware of this reality. I compare that awareness to a roller coaster ride that ascends rather slowly to the highest peak and drops with breath-taking speed, never to slow down again. The truth is that my life has always been speeding by but I didn’t have enough wisdom or understanding to realize it until that certain point on the roller coaster ride.