Time

by Eko Prasetyo @ 1:00 AM I have been thinking about time lately. Why did civilization have the concept of time? Did our ancestors conceived the concept of time to justify their aging? Did our ancestors felt that there are boundary to their activities that need some definition? Which come first: Time as boundary, or Time as measuring stick? I believe time was conceived because our ancestors felt that there are something BIG and VERY INTANGIBLE but affects their life CONSIDERABLY by giving limits on every aspect of their lives. That limiting aspect migh be realized from their own observations on their own aging process, from the diminishing of their supplies, and from the changing of generations. They might have felt that there had to be something to measure what had gone before, to solidify the boundary of their memories, to gain some guidances out of their regrets, and to give foundations on what will they do. They might felt that there are similarity for Past, Present, and Future. They might felt that those three are in truth one entity. That entity, that absolutely limiting aspect, that element of their life that washed off what had past and propel them to what they they were, and what they would be is TIME. And what, after the aspect had been recognized, that our ancestor did? The majority of them might first worship it as a divinity, having felt its dominant aspect to their lives, and forced themselves to bow before its absoluteness. They prayed that Time would gave them good chances in live. They prayed that their futures would be fruitfuls. They prayed that Time would not give them short boundaries to their life. They believed that Time held their lives and thus must be pleased. But History, another aspect of Time conceived by Man to accomodate the records of what had been swept to the past by Time, acknowledge those who saw Time is merely a limitation set for them by God. Parts of those who had these enlightening than set out to make Time more intangible. They tried to conceive more definition to time. They researched and spent part of their lives to give some means to measure Time. First, they realized that Time works like a perpetual wheel, circulating, rotating, and endlessly moving forward, sweeping to its back whatever comes to its way. They realized that the sun and moon are the most visible signs of this property of Time. But it was not enough. They need more accurate signs, they felt that time needed to be measured. And through much efforts and research, using their combined concepts of the wheel and the numbers, they created second, hour, day, season, and year. Finally, they believed that they had reached their goal: a touch on Time. Now, time can be measured. Past and memories can be given measurement on how far they are from us now. Erasing regrets can be justified if they are so much parted from us. The more distant Past is from us, the stronger the reason for us to heal our wounds. And the more distant Future is from us, what has been swep away by Time to the past may become more important. Sensing this, Man has been collecting notes, writing things to record what's taking place, and put it into History what may someday be opened again to light his way into the future. Time is a powerful entity, but it gets so tied in into Man's life that sometimes Man forgets that it's there. Man has been frequently leaving his past empty or in awful forms, and has been known to regret it. Future, the uncertain aspect of Time, is like an empty sheet that may be filled with a copy of the present or may be filled with something that looks like a copy of the past with variations that are put there by Civilizations. And repeatedly, Man has been making a copy of his monstrous pasts written into the future. It is Man's job to keep Time meaningful, to make from the turning of Time something good. It is Man's responsibily to learn from Past, to keep Present in balance, and to prevent the Future from becoming a copy of dark records of the Past that are kept in History. God says: In the name of Time, humans are at lost, except those who keep their faith true, who performs beneficial deeds, who reminds each others of the rights, and who reminds each others in patience. we must not be at lost. tags: Concept of Time | My Alter Ego | Blogroll Me! | |