I am in a constant state of motion. I keep changing no matter how hard you try to restrain me. I appear as soon as birth takes place.  I am unstoppable, inexorable and perpetual. I always was, am, and will be.  Who am I?

I am time. And despite my constancy, I have the magic to pass slowly or disappear all too quickly.

In Hassidic teachings of Kabbala there are three dimensions: space, time, consciousness. The very subtle aberrations of the time/space continuum are discussed in Kabbalistic teachings as well as in quantum physics. Ultimately however, it is the consciousness of the soul that defines the reality of time and space.

For time to assume a relativistic posture e.g. moving ‘quickly’ or ‘slowly’, consciousness must be its paintbrush. Time passes quickly when life is lived profoundly. The lesser life’s meaning, the slower it drags over the coals of pain.

Boredom means a low level of meaning in the moment. At such times, time flows slowly. Excitement accelerates the flow of time. What about the objective spectator that determines the exactitude of time – the clock?

But is the objective clock any more real than subjective consciousness? For the purpose of a police report, the handles of the clock-face are the locus of truth. But for the football fan time ebbs and flows, slows down and accelerates, drags or warps according to whether the team is winning handsomely or experiencing an embarrassing loss. Is one phenomenon more true than the other?

Living life fully accelerates time. Leading a purposeful life fills the moment of time. Living mindfully and in the moment creates a timeless dimension.

Why is that? Because time is not a ‘thing’ in its own right.  It is a relationship. It measures the relative motion of moving bodies or particles. If everything were in a state of perfect stillness there would be no time. But that is impossible in this world of time and space. Both the observer and the observed would need to be deader than a corpse, because even a corpse decomposes and that too is a state of motion and relative change – and therefore takes time.

So time is a relationship and relationships are the stuff of human consciousness and relativity.  Relationships are neither still nor constant. They are in a constant state of motion and change. When a relationship is sublime and profound it becomes timeless.  When it becomes corrupted and untrue it becomes a drag and we can’t wait to escape – it being simply too hurtful and time consuming.

 Are you having a good time?  What a strange expression. How can time be good or bad if it simply is? It means that time is more than an objective measure.  It is a statement of consciousness.

Do we have the power to change the nature of time?  Absolutely. Living deeply, profoundly, inquiringly, fully, will stretch time.  I call this the vertical dimension of time. The distance on the surface of time remains constant between point to point.  But each point possesses a pool of depth that allows its journeyman to dive into before moving on to the next point of time. When life is superficial and consists of stepping gingerly along the surface petals of time, life will seem shallow. Plunge into the pool, vertically, before moving horizontally onto the next petal of time, and life will be rich and meaningful.

Time is what you make of it. Life is how you navigate the flow of time.

Have a good time.