AN idea that makes me often wonder is the “relativity” of time. “Old stuff,” you will certainly say, and you would be right. Einstein is the champion of such theory, an intuition that many find so difficult to grasp that they might be tempted to dismiss it as improbable. Nevertheless, it has been proven to be true. Time is “relative” because it is not the same for everyone. This statement can be referred to two different ways of considering it. From a purely scientific “Einsteinian” point of view, time ticks differently according to “where” people are located, if they sit or stand, and according to the speed they are moving at. The other point of view is more personal, it only depends on the feeling relevant to what you are doing or experiencing. Time seems to be ticking on clocks in the same way for all, your daily experience tends to show you that the ticking is uniform and unchangeable while — from a scientific point of view — it is affected by the environment the clock is situated in, and — in everyday life — it actually depends on what you are doing. If you are busy in something that totally absorbs your attention, time seems to stop, it seems even to disappear because you are not conscious of its passing. When you regain awareness of your surroundings, you realize that several minutes or even hours have elapsed. On the other hand, when you are bored because you have nothing to do or you are not interested in what you are doing, time seems to move extremely slowly. It does not matter if the “ticking” proceeds at the same pace. The way you experience it is different because it depends on your personal situation, feeling or mood.
Another reflection, still related to time but from a different perspective, occurred to me while I was recently watching a re-run of 1965 award-winning movie, “Dr. Zhivago.” Toward the end there is a scene where one can realize how two situations taking place at the same time can have totally different outcome (and meaning) for the people involved. The protagonist, while on a tramway, sees Lara, his long-lost love, briskly walking along the street. He is overwhelmed with emotions and tries to attract her attention from the tram window, but to no avail. She does not notice him and continues walking. He desperately tries to cut through the crowd surrounding him and get off. When he finally succeeds, he endeavors to call and reach her, but he has a heart attack and dies on the spot. People surround his body while Lara, totally unaware of the whole drama, keeps walking towards her destination. The meaning of all this? A happening that takes place at the same time for all may have completely different meaning for each individual concerned. Lara may have been affected later, knowing about Dr. Zhivago’s death, but all the strong feelings that stormed through the poor man were not even acknowledged by her.
Does this wondering have a practical meaning for you, for your life? I believe it does. It makes you realize once again, that the way you live depends on your attitude, it is the result of something that is inside you and is therefore not dependent on outside circumstances. You know that, when you are happy, the world smiles at you, and when you are sad, the world looks gloomy all around. You are busy… time flies; you are bored… time seems to stop. Is this the way it is, or is it possible to do something to improve the negative outcomes, when they present themselves? If you really want to minimize your “down” moments, the first step is to become aware of them. Besides, you sometimes resent the fact that a person you care about does not react the way to expect and you do not realize that what is affecting you so strongly this very moment may not have the same effect on the other, yet. Acknowledging the way you feel, with neither judgment nor complains — and accepting it — is the best way to overcome it.
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