This afternoon I was discussing the concepts of internet, SEOs and article postings with Ms. Vijaya Laxmi, Suddenly, the idea dawned in mind. I had to cut short the discussion, in a hurried manner I sat down to write this piece. At times I may fail to express myself clearly, but I earnestly desire to appreciate the idea.
A question that often comes to our mind is ‘What is Time?’ For the learned the time is divided into seconds, minutes, hours and days etc. For the more learned the time is more precious in the sense that ‘Time is money’. For the enlightened the time is divided into ‘Past and Future’. There is no sphere in life that is not affected by time. For us the time has become all pervasive! We live, love, think, write, talk and learn in time. Time and science are intertwined. Thus, for us all the time has become a reality. There is nothing in the entire world that is not a part of time. And without time, it is believed, nothing can ever exist. Existence is time!
Time, as said above is divided either into minute’s hours etc. Or into past, present and future, or into both. I shall leave minutes & hours a side, and talk of the traditional division – past, present and future. I ask where does this distinction exists? Or is there a special place for it to exist? This distinction exists only in our mind. It has no physical existence. Please allow me to examine their concepts – past, present and future in detail. What is Past? Past is the sum of our experiences that exists in our mind. In other words we call it as ‘memory’. This memory can be either through what we remember through our experience, or through recorded events, or through the religious texts and literature or through our parents, teachers and society. To summarize the above and to put it simply memory is past. Our memory is past. Our memory consists of good things and bad things, resulting into good memories and bad memories, and both are remembered. Thus, we can say the sum of experiences is past! What is future? Repaired or amended or similar past is future. If our experience was not to our liking then we expect similar things will not recur in the future. The event of failing in the examination make us repair our experience (in this case passing the examination); expect it in the future. Similarly, if you have won a lottery, you will expect a similar experience in the future! Thus, it can be said that repaired or amended or similar past is future.
What is present? Present is what is! Everything exists in present. Everything happens in the present. Before even we begin to understand, present becomes past. A bird flying in the sky is present. It cannot fly in the past or future. I am writing this piece is present. I cannot write this piece either in the past or future. ‘Life is present’. It cannot be past or future. It can also be said without any concentration that ‘present is life’. Thus life and present are one. My life cannot be in the past or future. Past is not life. Past is dead. The dead can either be buried or cremated. Similarly future is not life. I cannot either be buried or cremated for it is not yet. It is yet to become present. It is not yet born. It may be born or may not be. It is beyond our imagination the swiftness with which the future becomes present and present becomes past. Since amended or modified past is future the non-existence of one will result in the annihilation of the other. The moment we remove past, future does not exist. The roots of future are in the past. When the roots are removed, the tree cannot exist. When past is removed, future cannot exist. In the absence of both past and future, we can always be in the present. Present is life! Man who created this illusion called time became a victim of his illusion. He is always either in yesterday or in tomorrow; in the past or in future; in history or science fiction; he is everywhere except in the present. The Nayavi is deceived by his own Maya.
Time is not all pervading or eternal. This is proved by the 5 elements or pancha mahabutas viz: Air, fire, earth, water and space. Time is never a part further time exists in our minds. If we are no more than the time is no-more. Time is dependent on our existence. The 5 elements exist and will continue to exist even in our absence.
To prove the fact that time exists only for us humans and on this planet, I can cite yet another scientific instance: The scientists are wondering about time on the Moon! They keep sending man minions there. Recently they faced and are still facing a challenge… “What is the time on Moon?” They did not have an iota of notion as to how to fix time on the moon. Before I exit from this planet, I wonder our so called scientists would be in position to fix time in our solar system! Thus time is fiction. Present… now… here… this is the only reality.
About the Author
Dr. K. Raja Gopal Reddy is a seasoned internationally qualified Insurance professional.
What you are reading here, may not answer all the questions we have, but has the absolute power of asking unsettling questions which increase the interest in the strange world, and show the contradictory wonders lying just below the surface of the commonest things of life. Look at this disturbing but beautiful thought of Friedrich Nietzsche “God is dead. God remains dead. And we have killed him”.
Dr. Reddy can be reached at: raja66gopal@gmail.com