What do we do with Time? Do we really understand it?
In the early days, all we were focused on was survival – staying safe and away from predators, gathering and hunting food. Our brain was wired to deal with immediate opportunities or threats.
As human civilization began to evolve, I believe we added another level of deliberation to decision-making. We added time to the analysis. We had time to think and looked at longer term consequences.
The trick to extrapolating over time is the following. Typically, when we project over time, we make some implicit assumptions about the environment. We often overlook and think that the parts are going to be relatively static. Unfortunately, we have all heard the phrase, “There are too many moving parts here.”
Usually, that is the case, yet we keep basing our projections on seemingly static parts. Once we become aware of what really happens over time, we have a better appreciation of the outcomes.
Additionally, time defines other properties such as the past, present and the future. Too many of us either live in the past or in the future. Few of us are able to suspend our mind chatter and stay in the Now, when time seems to stand still. Peace and Joy are the essential outcomes in this mode.
The past usually brings anger and regret, while the future brings anxiety and fear. Many of us live in the future in anticipation of good situations. However, neither of these approaches helps you experience the only moment there is, being in the now.