THE SPEED OF LIFE
PERCEIVING TIME
So the evening and the morning were the first day. – Genesis 1:5b
It may be easily overlooked that God created not only matter and energy, but also nonmaterial realities such as human will, and time itself. The first day was in fact the first day—we can try to think of God existing for eons “before” the creation, yet technically this is not so. It is not that He existed for a long, fixed amount of time, or even for an infinite time: He (Father, Son, and Spirit) just was, outside of time altogether. Indeed, Daniel, in his future vision, called Christ the “Ancient of Days,” and John reminds us, echoing the Genesis 1:1 declaration, that God was “in the beginning,” as was Christ, by whom “all things were made” (John 1:2-3). Even today, time is something that God “sees” all at once, such that He is not
constrained by it: “Known to God from eternity are all His works” (Acts 15:18).
By contrast, we are so inexorably held within time that we cannot really comprehend this. So we perceive life as a series of events or opportunities (Greek kairos) that must play out, in which we take part consciously, overlaid on the ongoing ticking of measurable time (Greek chronos). We attempt to mark this passage with the help of Earth’s rotation and the Sun, conveniently divided into hours, minutes and seconds. Although our experience and memories of life come more in the kairos sense, we nonetheless feel compelled, curiously enough, to clock out our lives beyond sunup and sundown, through the creative use of mechanical or electronic devices. Ultimately, time is now standardized by the vibration frequency of the cesium-133 isotope (the official standard for the second is 9,192,631,770 vibrations of this trusty metallic element).
Though sunrises are an intuitive-enough way to mark out our time, there is actually quite of bit of astronomy and mathematics in defining the actual length of a solar day (knowing this precise duration was required before the cesium-133 standard could be established). If days were based literally on Earth’s rotation (sidereal time, with respect to distant stars rather than the Sun), they would actually be 23 hours, 56 minutes, and 4.091 seconds each. But because Earth travelsaround the sun in a curved path, in the same direction in which Earth rotates, it has to rotate a bit more than 360 degrees to “catch up” to the same sunrise position, which takes closer to 24 hours. Still, because the orbit is elliptical (not exactly circular), the actual solar day varies throughout the year. There are in fact only four days per year exactly 24 hours in length. Thus, the 24-hour day (7,942,433,844,928,000 vibrations of cesium-133, if you must know) is actually the mean (average) solar day. Then there are also issues of leap-time adjustments and the precession of the equinoxes when it comes to defining calendars and seasons, but I will leave it at that.
In the living out of time through both event-oriented kairos perception and meticulously metered chronos, we note that our perception of time changes. We think of an “endless” wait in line, or of the Christmas that “flew by.” I think of my own children, or my students, who will graduate high school in just a few years, and I think of how quickly the previous few years went by. They, of course, perceive it differently, with each year experienced so uniquely and with so much that is new. I have thought that it is very much true that time flies more when we are older, and here is why: For me, the past year was a mere 2.3% of my entire life, whereas for my teenage children, the past year comprised over 7% of their lives. So literally, they lived three times more of their chronos time this past year than I did! We can’t reflect on the past year in light of the years to come, only on what has transpired, so this is how it is.
David, in humility, recognized the disconnect between God’s limitless perception and our limited one, speaking aloud his prayer: “Lord, make me to know my end, and what is the measure of my days, that I may know how frail I am. Indeed, you have made my days as handbreaths, and my age is as nothing before you. Certainly every man at his best state is but vapor” (Psalm 39:4-5). James echoed the thought: “…you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away” (James 4:14).
Before I consider any further this important matter of properly perceiving our lives in time, I would like to ponder how this enigma of time might be experienced by other creatures. I do not suppose that most creatures reflect on their lives much, or pine for days gone by or days to come. But I do think that with any degree of consciousness comes some perception of time, and this must be a unique property of each kind. For example, the National Geographic video Seasons in the Sea includes a time-lapse segment of sea star (starfish) interaction. It keenly notes that in “real time,” these creatures appear to be resting, with any motions appearing miniscule or purposeless. Yet in the time lapse, a truly social interaction emerges, with the creatures moving and interacting intentionally. If sea stars perceived chronos as we do, they would have to be immensely patient and focused, sticking to the plan of where to go and what to do next. I cannot help but think that for these creatures, life is perceived for them as in the time lapse for us. Perhaps it is a type of slow-speed consciousness (“slow” as compared to us at least, but normal for them). By contrast, think of the house fly that zig-zags frantically,occasionally pausing, but even then rapidly twitching its legs. To us, its two-to-four week lifespan is pure frenzy, but perhaps it “thinks” faster than we do, perceiving life at a pace less-frenzied for itself. Of course, there is no way to know what it is like to perceive life as a fly without becoming one, and even then, there would be no way to compare without a dual fly-human consciousness, and my mind is boggled even considering that one.
A clever scene in the animated movie Over the Hedge played around with this idea of perception. Hammy the hyperactive squirrel (as all squirrels appear to be) is given an energy drink, and proceeds on a backyard mission of mischief toward humans, all while retrieving a cookie. But after his drink, and before he heads out, an image is shown of Earth’s rotation slowing, as Hammy’s friends begin moving in slow motion. Hammy’s mission is no frenzy to him, as he saunters around, turns on a security system, avoids the lasers, retrieves the cookie, moves a garden gnome, and exits at his “normal” speed.
Do we believe that starfish and squirrels really perceive life with sluggishly disciplined patience and hyper chaotic frenzy, respectively? Or does biological perception of time—even chronos—vary by kind? Does the dragonfly, living the way it does for several years, live more or less of a perceived life span than a sea star at 35 years? And to what extent are our own years filled? Whether it be our changing perception of chronos, or the myriad of significant kairos events within that, we might do well to be less concerned about the years we will get, and more mindful
of how much opportunity and richness of experience God provides in our earthly lives.
The key, I believe, is somewhat of a paradox: We must live in the present, with eternal mindset, what Paul Tillich called the “eternal now.” It is not about living in the past or the future, but in Christ. When God established the first day, and fashioned the Sun on the fourth to mark out this period for us and his creatures, the point was not to send us on an adventure of defining the solar day and dividing it up. Rather, it was to give us a wider perception of the present than the actual thin, elusive line that it is in the chronos sense. While each literal instant vanishes into the past before we can think about our being in it, by extension, the day can be our attainable “moment.” Paul admonished, “See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, redeeming the time [kairos], because the days are evil” (Ephesians 5:15-16). Sure, the era in which we live is enshrouded in evil, as are the years, months, weeks, hours, and minutes. But it is the day with which we must be concerned. When Jesus told his disciples not to worry, He put tomorrow off limits, as something that we can never truly experience! Somewhat humorously, he told them “…tomorrow will worry about itself.” And then, on the mark, He declared “Each day has enough trouble of its own” (Matthew 6:34).
Perhaps we worry too much about time, and are thus concerned too little with opportunity. Our natural life is short, but our regenerated life is eternal, couched in the timeless, everlasting God. By recognizing that all we now have is today, for Christ and in Christ, we have all the time we need.
| Why should I fear in the days of evil, When the iniquity at my heels surrounds me? Those who trust in their wealth And boast in the multitude of their riches, none of them can by any means redeem his brother, nor give to God a ransom for him—for the redemption of their souls is costly, And it shall cease forever—that he should continue to live eternally, and not see the Pit.
For he sees wise men die; Likewise the fool and the senseless person perish, And leave their wealth to others. Their inner thought is that their houses will last forever, Their dwelling places to all generations; They call their lands after their own names. Nevertheless man, though in honor, does not remain; He is like the beasts that perish. This is the way of those who are foolish, and of their posterity who approve their sayings. Like sheep they are laid in the grave; Death shall feed on them; The upright shall have dominion over them in the morning; And their beauty shall be consumed in the grave, far from their dwelling. But God will redeem my soul from the power of the grave, For He shall receive me. – Psalms 49:5-15 |
© 2010 Chard Berndt
All Scriptures NKJV.
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2 Responses to “THE SPEED OF LIFE”
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Chard,
You never cease to amaze my friend………..dual consciousness with a fly (who knew). In truth, this a very well-thought piece capturing the elusive nature of time. This is a great reminder to us of how great the glory of god is….. through salvation we’re able to receive the gift of eternal life.
Thanks for the comment, Brad!